Angelic: The Successor of Astarte
by Delphi913
Summary: Louise summons a metaphysical spirit which latches onto her soul, intent on purifying the vileness within her. That, however, is only the beginning. 6000 years of stunted evolution can only be rectified in a world-sweeping war whose instigators will stop at nothing to ensure humanity walks down the path they desire. A/N: If you are offended by religious themes, don't read this.
1. The Lady of War Appears!

**A/N: Alright, what am I doing? I seriously did not plan for this to happen, but an idea so firmly lodged itself in my brain that I could not extricate and began to** _ **research**_ **. So, beyond not being able to focus on one story at a time, now I have to deal with this. *Sigh* I wish I could control my creative spirit.**

 **First of all, go read "Loopholes" by DschingisKhan as I'm certain it will be a better story than this one and was partial inspiration for this, along with the author's kind words of encouragement.**

 **Second of all, I need to clear the air regarding something that's, shall we say, controversial. El Shaddai is based on Biblical Apocrypha, specifically The Book of Enoch and the Book of The Watchers contained within.**

 **For an overview, said book contained the explanation behind the Great Flood in the story of Noah's Ark, in that 200 angels descended from the heavens and gave mankind God's wisdom as well as fornicating with them, creating the unholy hybrids, the Nephilim. With the knowledge of art, science, and war in the hands of mankind, and the Nephilim's insatiable hunger, much of the world was thrown into chaos and God sent the archangels to punish the Grigori (another name for The Watchers) and instigated the Great Flood in order to wipe the slate clean, allowing only Noah, a descendant of both Enoch himself and Adam, and the world's creatures to endure.**

 **The game, El Shaddai, much like this fic, is loosely based on The Book of Enoch. The story was altered so that only 7 of The Watchers, who were the primary ringleaders, survived and Enoch, who was opposed to God's and the Elder's decision to flood the world, was sent to wrangle them in. With the help of Lucifel and Ishtar, he succeeds in sealing 2 of them while the rest are either killed, swallowed by The Darkness, or just up and disappeared like Semyaza.**

 **If any of the above offends you, then stop reading this now. I guarantee that the rest of this fic, should I even get out of the planning stages, is only going to anger you even more.**

 **Also, I doubt I'll follow ZnT very closely either. Just thought that worth mentioning.**

 **My apologies for the long author's note, but I needed to get all that out. Now, onto the story.**

 **Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_ / **"Demon Speak"**

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Courtyard; Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual)**

Of course the spell resulted in an explosion just like every single other one she tried to cast. Dread filled Louise's heart as she looked upon the great dust cloud before her. Should she fail here and now, the rest of her life would be out of her control. She would be a political tool, married off to another young noble in bridging the gap between her family and his, whoever he should be. That was something she could not stand for. She was a noble and a Vallière to boot!

*Gasp*

Before she could ruminate on it further, the dust cloud had cleared, revealing a ghastly sight. In place of the summoning sigil which had been in the center of the burst, lay a pool of bubbling liquid, black as a moonless night, which was releasing a horrid miasma into the air. All around her, her peers devolved into their typical whisperings about her failure. She heard the word 'Zero' passed around several times as it always was, causing her to clench her fists. _'They couldn't understand, even for a moment, what my life is like,'_ she thought, cursing her fate once more for choosing her as the object of their torment.

Just as she was about to turn to her professor and ask if she could try again, something rose from the black pool, seemingly driving away the darkness and silencing her classmates. Kirche had shut her insufferable mouth and even Tabitha had closed her book and looked on in interest as the shining light pushed the blackness back and out of existence. Looking upon it in wonder, Louise felt she could make out a vaguely humanoid shape within the light. What had she summoned; was it a... could it possibly be a spirit? Whatever it was, it was her familiar; she'd finally cast a successful spell for the first time since her birth. To say she was happy would be an understatement.

*Ahem* "Miss Vallière… You should attempt to bind this familiar, whatever it is. You remember the methods?" she heard her professor, Colbert, say.

She gave him a quick and determined nod, not taking her eyes off her summon, before she took a step forward. If it was a nature spirit that she'd summoned, she would have to attempt the most dangerous type of binding – Soul Binding. A physical bind such as the traditional kiss or the sharing of blood would not work. Instead she would have to offer her own energy, her own willpower, and accept the spirit's in return, allowing a bond to form between them. However, by baring her soul before the spirit, she would risk being possessed by it which was why there was fear building within her as she stepped further toward the light which had not moved since it had first appeared.

Drawing her wand, she flicked it a few times, casting the incantation as a glowing circle with a five-pointed star appeared at her feet. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make it my familiar," she uttered as she gathered willpower within her, allowing it to flow out of her in its most basic form as an offering to the spirit.

Apparently ignoring her offering, the spirit descended to the ground and slowly 'walked' forward, emitting grace with each step. When it was right in front of her, it placed a 'hand' on her head and flowed into her body, filling her with endless warmth.

To outside observers, it appeared she had a glowing aura for a few seconds, and for those seconds, it looked as if she was entirely at peace for what was probably the first time since she entered the academy. This was sharply contrasted by her grasping her chest in panic as pain swelled within her. Desperately she clutched at the area over her heart as flamed seemed to blaze inside of her, building with every passing moment, before an additional fire burned in her right hand.

Louise could no longer form comprehensible thoughts. The pain was too much. She could vaguely remember Colbert and Kirche calling out to her as she passed out. There wasn't even time for her to question why the redhead would care about her fate before she was engulfed in blackness.

 **Unknown Location**

It was cold… and dark.

So cold. Always cold. There was nothing and no one to provide warmth.

She was alone. Unwanted. Unloved.

She cried out, the true pain rearing its ugly head.

Always alone. The only person who loved her and the only person who cared… both of them were far from here, and neither would be around forever. Her sister would die, maybe from disease or maybe from age, and her friend would move on and leave her behind. Maybe she already had. She had no one.

" **Why is it that you continue to live in this world that hates you?"**

She shuddered at the voice. It was deep and powerful, compelling her to provide an answer, even if she did not want to.

Why… why did she keep moving forward?

Why did she live?

Why did she endure the pain?

Was it so as not to besmirch her family name? " **Even that has its limits."**

Was it to fulfill her own obligation as a noble and magician? " **What worth do you have as either if you cannot cast even a single successful spell?"**

Was it so as not to sadden Cattleya? **"Ah yes, your beloved sister. The one that loves you unconditionally and sees you as more than a Zero. Each day you await the letter that will tell you her disease has grown worse and she is on her deathbed. Then there will be no one to hold you and whisper false promises that everything will be alright. Pathetic."**

The miasma grew around her body, coating her further in the blackness and taint.

" **You do not need to hold on any longer. Let go, and you shall find peace in the embrace of The Darkness. There is no need to continue the torment of your existence."**

Yes, The Darkness. Though she feared the voice, she could not deny that she wanted this: to put an end to the pain and at least own her own death if she could not own anything else. After all, she had failed in all aspects, and there was no place for her in the world any longer except as a tool in some loveless political marriage.

She closed the senses of her soul, anticipating the end, and… nothing. Was there no afterlife? No Heaven or Hell? No Valhalla or Helheim? Was she cursed with nonexistence for the rest of eternity… or had the voice simply lied to her?

' _Do not fall to Belial's temptation,'_ she heard an unfamiliar voice speak as amazing warmth began to replace the cold that was there before. _'Death may bring you a quick release, but if you succumb to The Darkness and allow the vileness to engulf your soul, then the pain will never end._

Light filled her sixth sense, as a pair of arms seemed to wrap themselves around her metaphysical self.

' _But why?'_ she responded in an anguished cry, _'Why must I hold this curse? Why can I not cast a single spell correctly? Why must I be alone and unloved, even by my own mother?'_

There was still darkness covering her, but the taint surrounding her was all but gone, replaced with the light of the spirit grasping her. She heard a light chuckle at her questions.

' _I am surprised you have lasted this long with the vileness that surrounds your soul. To have endured for this long; you must have an indomitable will,'_ the voice said soothingly, _'but you are wrong about being alone. There are people that care for you even now.'_

' _Who? Who cares for me?'_

It was an honest question. She could not think of a single person other than Cattleya or Henrietta that might care if she died. Certainly no one at the Academy would give even the slightest piece of their mind.

' _If you truly do not know, then hear their voices and take solace in them.'_

Suddenly she felt more voices enter her head, swirling around her like a great whirlwind.

"They've told me that the spirit within your body cannot be exorcised. Please do pull through Miss Vallière. Karin would never forgive me if a child of hers died in my care… not that I would be able to forgive myself."

"We always called you Zero… but looking at you now… For some reason, I can't stand the thought of you withering away before you've had a chance to bloom. So, prove us wrong about you, for your sake and ours."

"Ah, Miss Vallière? So the rumors were true… I guess we'll both just have to get better together, huh? I've seen you from afar and I know you always try your best, so don't give up. Okay?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I take back all the things I ever said about you. Just… Please wake up, Louise. You're the strongest and most determined person I've ever meant. It's not like you to give up like this, so wake up. Call me a cow, insult my breast size, I don't care. Just wake up."

"Louise… Didn't realize how quiet… without you. You… Only one who can understand. The pain… loneliness… you know it. I do too. My family… hatred… death… insanity… no love. I want… to talk. I don't want… to be alone… you either… Wake up, Louise. Wake up."

If it were possible, hot tears would be streaming down her cheeks. Who knows, perhaps they were in her corporeal form. _'How?'_

' _You have impressed them with the strength of your will,'_ the voice replied to her _. 'That is the first step. Now you must act on it. You must awaken.'_

Slowly but surely, she felt herself be pulled away from the spirit. It was like she was being pulled out of a deep cavern by a safety rope tied around her waist. Looking in distress in the direction of the spirit as more and more light began to fill her vision, to the point of blinding her, she called out a question.

' _Who are you?!'_ She wondered if it could hear her, but that distress was unfounded. It was her own head, after all.

' _Know that I am the Prophetess and Warrior, Ishtar, and I will cleanse your soul of the vileness. This I swear.'_

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Infirmary)**

When she awoke, her vision was swimming, producing a mess of colours. She felt incredibly weak and the energy of the summoning ritual was gone. Eventually her sight did settle on a single colour, that being… blue.

"T-Tabitha?" she asked, her voice raspy. "What are…" *cough* "What are you doing here?"

Indeed the bespectacled mage, and the only girl in the academy that was smaller than her, was sitting at her side, and… holding her hand. That fact would have made her incredibly embarrassed, had she the energy. Releasing her grasp on her hand, the blunette took something from the table beside her.

"No talk," she said in her same monotone, "Water first."

A coolness was pressed to her lips, pouring the lifeblood of the Gods down her throat. The substance, which she recognized as Healing Water, provided relief to her throat and made her feel the strength she'd lost ebb back into her. Though, her limbs still felt incredibly stiff and she did not feel like she could lift them. When the glass was removed, she felt up to speaking much more than she had previously.

"How long?" she questioned, her voice quiet as her throat was still healing.

"A week," the genius girl replied, not missing a beat.

"A week?" she said, distressed. "What happened?"

"Summoned a spirit," the blunette replied, wiping a wet cloth over her forehead. "Possessed you. Fused with your soul. Could not be removed. Look. Runes on your hand."

She looked down at her right hand to reveal a set of familiar runes glowing on the back of her palm. She recognized the script from the various volumes she'd read in preparation for the ceremony. In any other situation, she would have been horrified as it would have marked herself as her own familiar. However, she'd already met the familiar within her…

"I remember. Ishtar…"

"Ishtar?"

"Her name. She saved me… from dying." She looked down, ashamed by her moment of weakness. "I heard your voices. Everyone who came to visit me… including you."

Louise looked over to see her classmate with eyes slightly widened and the lightest trace of pink across her cheeks. In all honesty it wasn't that different from her default expression, but for her, it was more emotion then she'd ever seen on the girl.

"You said you understand me. That you don't want to be alone," she continued, "but how are you alone? Don't you have Kirche? Aren't you a genius? How can you not have friends?"

She looked away. "Kirche… doesn't understand. Lots of attention. Lots of friends. Kind to me, comforting, but… Can never know what it's like."

She was surprised by the darkness contained within the last few words. Again, it was more emotion than she'd ever seen out of her.

"And I do?"

The girl looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "You're lonely. Have been since you arrived."

That was something she couldn't deny. Without Cattleya, it had been… difficult to stave off the loneliness her first nights here, especially with her struggling with her magic and the constant teasing and bullying of her peers. Had Tabitha noticed the entire time? The girl had never participated in the teasing, had never done anything to hurt her, but she was also a symbol of everything Louise wanted to be. She was an extremely talented mage who seemed to hardly ever even have to try and had summoned a dragon, of all things, as her familiar. Plus, on a deeper level, she was actually good at hiding her emotions, unlike Louise, who could not help but respond to the indignities thrown at her, even in spite of the Rule of Steel she was to follow. The girl's mere existence was taunting her, and now…

"If you saw, why didn't you do anything?" She couldn't mask the anger in her voice. It was unfair, she knew, to demand attention from others. She wasn't supposed to need anyone else, as her mother had taught her. However, this girl had seen her stewing in her own pain and done nothing. That was simply… wrong, especially if she was going through the exact same thing, as she'd said.

"Was afraid," she said quietly, almost under her breath, "Didn't know how to approach. Not… good with people."

Well, she certainly felt bad now. She should have suspected a girl who spent all of her time with her nose in books wouldn't be very good with dealing with people. The thought had not crossed her mind, though.

"Why now, though?"

"You would have died," the blunette replied, their eyes meeting once more, "Would have regretted it."

Suddenly feeling incredibly awkward, she averted her eyes. _'So she does care…'_

"So you want to be-"

"Friends."

It was something she had always wanted, a friend. Henrietta was her friend once, but the two had been separated for years. This would be the first she'd have that was of her own station and it would be something that she'd made herself rather than being selected as a playmate for royalty. Right in front of her was something she'd desired for years. A fire was set burning in her soul though she paid it no heed for now. She was too joyful to notice.

"Tabitha… T-T-Thank y-you," she stuttered out, tearfully.

For the first time in a long time, a smile graced the blunette's lips. It was tiny, barely noticeable really, but for the two of them, it was all that was needed.

 **A/N: Oh God, what am I doing? Literally, oh God.**

 **So yeah, Louise is Ishtar or she'll at least become Ishtar eventually. This, of course, doesn't mean her original personality will be supplanted , but she will gain access to some of Ishtar's powers as the goddess of War, Love, and Fertility as well as her memories and experiences. Also, as an agent of God, she'll have the purification power as well, as she did in El Shaddai.**

 **I have decided on the other familiars. None of them are Enoch/Metatron, though he might make an appearance depending on what I plan out. As well, I have discovered Enochian Magic and I am looking at attempting to incorporate it in if I can figure out exactly how it works.**

 **I am not confident in my knowledge of theological discourse, but I will do my best to make this work.**

 **Pray for me, if you wish. I'll need it.**


	2. The Glorious Angel of Light

**A/N: So, I understand Enochian a little better and I know now that its magic system is inherently elemental in nature which means that I can move forward with the plot a little. I'm still most likely going to hold off on Henrietta's appearance until I have a more solid plan in place. Unlike a lot of ZnT Crossovers, I don't want to just write until I reach the greater plot of the series, realize I can't continue, and then abandon the story altogether.**

 **Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Headmaster's Office)**

"Well, I'm quite glad to see you've recovered Miss Vallière. We'd feared the worst only a few days ago."

"I would not say I've fully recovered, Headmaster Osmond, but thank you, all the same."

Indeed, her recovery was not quite over. She had been undergoing various healing procedures over the past day that had recuperated her body for the most part. However, she still needed to rest and regain her strength as her body had been in a sour state over the week she was down. Apparently, her flesh had rejected all forms of magical healing, refusing to allow the healers any method of alleviating the sickness while her body wasted away. Thankfully, she was back up on her feet and able to stand before her Headmaster and Professor Colbert who was shifting around uneasily for whatever reason.

"We informed your mother of your condition," the eldest in the room said, stroking his beard. "She saw fit not to divulge the nature of the sickness to the rest of your family. Your father and sisters know nothing of what happened."

"A good decision," Louise nodded sagely. "I imagine if she had, Cattleya would be bedridden with worry. Tell me, did she come to visit me?"

The last words were spoken in hesitation. She'd not heard her mother in the storm of voices, though she could have simply missed it or maybe she didn't remember. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on her part, but she wanted so dearly to hear that her mother had dropped everything to be at her side. Some acknowledgement that maybe she felt something for her youngest daughter, even in spite of her flaws.

"She did not, and she made no mention of it in the letter she sent to us. Just to instruct you to write her immediately when you awoke," Colbert told her with a sigh, "In her own words, she trusted in your ability to recover on your own and that you would not give up."

The pinkette felt her heart sink at that revelation. _'Not only was she not concerned enough to visit, but she has no idea how close I came to…'_ The shame that had been ever-present since her awakening returned in the pit of her stomach. She could never let that happen again. To let herself to die because of her mother's ignorance and petty insults and jabs; it was pathetic, weak, and unbefitting of a noble.

"I suppose it is of no importance," she returned, ignoring the cries of her heart once more, "Did you need me for anything else, Headmaster, or may I take my leave?"

"Ah no, Miss Vallière, I can understand your desire to return to your daily routine," Old Osmond stopped her, raising a hand, "but Mister uh-"

…

The silence continued for a few more moments, as the white-haired headmaster scratched his head and mumbled to himself, before the bald professor loudly interrupted: *Ahem* "It's Colbert, sir."

"AH, YES! Colbert. Forgive me. My memory is getting foggy these days…"

…

"Speaking of, what were we discussing?"

The two other occupants of the room almost lost their balance in disbelief. _'Is he really qualified to be our headmaster?'_ Louise thought, rubbing her forehead.

"I'll just take over from here, shall I?" Colbert stated with an exasperated expression, "Miss Vallière, you are aware of the Familiar Runes that have been branded onto your right hand, correct?"

Looking down on the glowing symbols that adorned her right wrist, she nodded. "Since my familiar is inside of me, it would stand the reason that the runes would appear on my body instead, wouldn't it?"

"I do not know," he replied, pushing his spectacles up slightly. "Nothing like this has happened before to my knowledge. Spirit summonings are rare enough without the spirit in question uniting with the summoner."

His face gained a frown before he lightly shook his head. "That is not what I wanted to discuss, anyhow."

The student's brow furrowed. "What is it then, Professor?"

"Before we continue, the headmaster and I have agreed that this is a topic that should not leave this room," Colbert took a commanding tone, indicating the severity of the situation, "What we are about to tell you, you must not breathe a word of to another soul, am I understood?"

The strawberry-haired mage gulped, having never before seen the professor in such a serious mood, and the prospect of whatever he had to tell her. Whatever it may be, it didn't seem like something good for him to carry such a serious aura about him.

"Y-Yes I understand, Professor. You can trust me with this secret!" she responded shakily.

"Good," he nodded, relaxing his posture. "I have been researching the runes while you have been… out of commission, and I've found something that is most troubling."

From within his robes, he quickly produced a book and opened to a page he had bookmarked.

"Hold out your hand."

Turning the book around, he held it up beneath her palm with both of his own. The symbols on the page were an exact match to the ones on her hand, as she could see.

"What is this, Professor?"

"This is _The Familiars of the Founder, Brimir_ , my dear, and those runes on your hand match those of the Vindálfr, the Right Hand of God, and the familiar capable of controlling any beast."

It took a moment for what he'd said to register. Her ears simply refused to receive the sounds and yet they managed to reach her brain anyway through sheer force of persistence. The effect was immediate: disbelief, denial, refusal to accept the facts. For her to have such a familiar within her would make her a mage of the Void, and that just could not be. Void Mages were said to be powerful and capable of feats that no other mage could possibly reach, and all she could create were explosions. Not to mention what the church did to those with the Void element. The stories she heard were… not pretty.

"W-with all due r-respect, P-Professor," she stammered out before her emotions escaped her, "AREYOUSUREYOUAREN'TMISTAKEN?!"

The older man gave a light chuckle, but merely shook his head again. "I'm sure, Miss Vallière. Now you see why this must not be revealed to anyone. If the palace catches wind of this, they'll do everything in their power to make you their pawn. The church might even take your life. I will not allow harm to come to any of my students, especially not the child of an old friend, so please do try to keep this a secret, yes?"

She was still trembling. How could she not at the knowledge that had just been unloaded on her? However, she managed to deliver a shaky nod all the same.

He walked back to the headmaster's desk and took an item from it as he said, "We would not have even told you if your familiar was not so unique and so… bonded with you."

Walking back to her, he presented the item, which seemed to be a glove without fingers.

"I took the liberty of purchasing this for you. Use it to hide the runes," he instructed as she took the glove from his hand and slipped it on. "If a mage of sufficient knowledge catches wind of them, you could be in serious danger, do you understand?"

She nodded a bit more confidently this time. "Yes, I understand, Professor."

At that, he finally relaxed back into his regular persona, giving her a gentle smile.

"Now, if there wasn't anything else, Headm-"

 ***SNORE*** "ZZZZZzzzzz…"

…

…

"I think you can just take your leave now, Miss Vallière."

Not wanting to spend another moment in the office, she spun around on her feet and promptly marched up to the door and was about to grab the doorknob when the knob defied her and swung away from her along with the rest of the door. Behind said door, and staring at her in mild surprise, was an attractive green-haired woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties with quite the ample…

' _Wait, what am I THINKING ABOUT?!'_

"Ah, Miss Longueville," Colbert greeted, saving Louise from being noticed for her steaming face, "Was there something urgent?"

Looking up, she smiled at the bespectacled man and said, "Oh nothing, I was just going to tell the Headmaster that preparations for the princess' arrival are complete."

Whatever strangeness she was going through, Louise snapped out of it immediately. "The princess is coming here?!"

The verdette's gaze dropped back to her. "You've been down ill for the past week, if I recall correctly, so I wouldn't blame you for forgetting, but the Crown Princess, Henrietta, is arriving tomorrow to view the Familiar's Festival on the following day.

She froze in shock. How could she have possibly forgotten that her best friend, and previously her only friend, was coming tomorrow? Her uncertainty about the royal girl had been a large part of her depressive spiral. This was her chance to confirm whether Henrietta still liked her!

"Um, excuse me, Miss Vallière?"

Suddenly she remembered she was standing in the middle of the doorway and reacted appropriately.

"WAH! Please forgive me, Miss!" she exclaimed before running past her and attempting to dash off.

"Wait a moment, Miss Vallière!" the woman called out, causing her to halt and turn back.

"There's a rumor going around about the Phantom Thief, Fouquet, trying to steal the Blade of Dragon's Bane from the Academy. Do stay safe and report anything suspicious, won't you?" she said with a smile that bordered on devious.

Though she was a little creeped out, Louise gave a simple, "Of course." With no more roadblocks, she quickly departed.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Louise's Room; Residential Hall)**

Considering that she'd just come out of a life-threatening mini-coma, the academy saw fit to allow her an exemption from her classes for a few days. After all, she did need to get her energy back and there was the matter of her familiar, no, Ishtar to sort out. She was using this time to write up letters to her mother and sister as a reassurance that she was, in fact, alive and intact as well as an apology for the break in contact and a bit of information on her familiar, obviously excluding exactly what type of familiar it was. _'Me? A Void Mage? It can't be. The professor must have been mistaken somehow.'_

She was a bit excited, though. Tabitha was supposed to stop by later and the two would spend some time together as mutual friends. She didn't know exactly what to do with the mousy girl other than perhaps read, but in all honesty, she was glad simply for the company. The room was simply far too _cold_ all the time. Now there would be someone to help keep it warm, even for just a few hours. Yup, it looked as if things were finally looking up for her…

*SNAP*

Gray.

Everything was a shade of grey.

What.

Suddenly, there was a strange buzzing noise coming from behind her, and she turned around to face it, neglecting to notice that the quill she'd just let go of was still standing upright.

Louise found herself staring at the man across the room as he proceeded to pace back and forth, holding an odd rectangular object up to his ear.

"Yeah?"

…

"Yeah, I found her."

…

"No, she hasn't fully awakened yet. It seems Ishtar is taking her sweet time."

…

"Don't ask me. You would know better than me. She's the "Queen of Heaven" after all."

…

"Oh, don't mind me. You know how I like my little jokes."

…

"I'll see what I can find out."

…

"Alright, I'll talk to you later."

He made a swiping motion on the object before placing it in a pocket on his dark pants. Then he turned his head to look at her, his raven hair making a swishing motion as he did.

"Hey."

She took this moment to notice that he was distressingly not wearing a shirt beneath his black button-up which had unnerving implications. Naturally, Louise reacted in the only way she could have.

"WHO IN THE FOUNDER ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU IN MY ROOM AND WHY ARE YOU NOT WEARING A SHIRT?!"

"Heh. The nerves on you. Enoch wasn't shaking in his sandals when we first met," he remarked, laughing to himself.

She scrambled to grab her wand from her shirt and point it directly at him. "OUT!"

He just looked at her with a bemused expression. "You can try that, but it's not going to work."

"THAT'S IT!" she screamed out, as the man was really starting to get on her nerves.

"FIREBALL!"

…

…

…

"Told you it wouldn't work."

Nothing had happened. No fireball, no explosion. Just nothing. She could feel the dread creep into the bottom of her gut.

"Have I lost the ability to cast magic completely now?" she asked, staring at the tip of your wand.

"Oh it's not that. Not at all," the dark-haired man told her, "Time has stopped at my command and due to Heaven's Temporal Non-Interference Clause, we can't affect the physical world."

She blinked a few times. "Wait, you have the power to stop time? Just who are you?"

He gave her a smug grin. "Well, since you asked nicely this time, I'll tell you my name."

The strange man turned towards her and gave her a courteous bow. "I am Lucifel, the Archangel of Light, at your service."

…

"You don't look like an angel."

It was really all she could say. Between his weird clothes and the fact that he was talking to a box earlier he looked more like an invalid. The church had always described angels as grand and graceful, winged beings and nothing like the stranger in front of her. However, he'd made the entire world turn gray and somehow nullified her magic. He had to have power of some kind.

"Hah," the self-proclaimed angel chortled, "You know, Enoch said the exact same thing when I first met him."

*RUMBLE*

The entire room seemed to shake as he looked up at the ceiling and proclaimed, "What? You did."

Before she could question what in the Founder had just happened, he continued. "Anyway, you don't look much like a mage with those explosions of yours so that makes two of us, doesn't it?"

Was he trying to make her angry? Cause that had made her blood _boil_. "How DARE YOU!"

"Oh? Do you deny that each spell of yours fails? I'm simply stating a fact, no more," he replied with another smug smile. He was just full of those, wasn't he?

She was half-inclined to attempt another explosion on him, but she knew it wouldn't work and he was just trying to make her angry. It wouldn't befit the Rule of Steel if she were to just accept his insults. She took a few deep breaths and forced herself to simmer down lest she boil over.

"Are you ready to talk now?"

Taking one more deep breath for reassurance, she began, "Let's say I believe that you're an angel. What does an angel want with me?"

"You've been chosen as the Vessel of Ishtar, and that makes you an agent of the Lord. As one of his servants and a protector of humanity, I am bound to assist you and act as the conduit between you and the Heavens," Lucifel recited, sounding rather bored.

Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know about Ishtar? I've only ever told one person about her."

"Oh, she's made herself known to you; that makes things easier. And I already told you, I'm an archangel. I know these things."

Louise paused in her line of thinking. She really only had told Tabitha the name of Ishtar, so the only way this man could have known her name is if he was eavesdropping or if he came from the same place as she did, and considering Ishtar had emerged from a pool of literal darkness that stained the courtyard to this day, as she'd found out, she guessed there wasn't much chance of them being casual acquaintances. So, maybe, just maybe, she could believe what he was saying, just a little bit…

"If you're an angel, where are your wings?"

"Pfft. Is that really the proof you need?"

She huffed in indignation. "A proper angel should have wings, shouldn't he? Why don't you show me yours?"

"If that's what you really need to see," he returned, sighing.

*SNAP*

The middle two buttons that were holding his shirt closed magically undid themselves and the entire thing unfurled itself off of his body, leaving him essentially topless, and transformed into two pairs of feathery raven-colored wings to match his hair. She looked on in awe. He was already a beautiful man, but his features were only accentuated to their extreme by the entirety of his pale skin and the wings protruding from his back.

"You know you're drooling, right?"

"N-No, I'm not!" she yelled loudly, while wiping the corners of her mouth.

*SNAP*

With his shirt back on, he leaned on her wall. "So? That proof enough for you?"

Calming down a little, she looked at him with questioning eyes. "So, it's all real? God and Heaven and everything? It actually exists?"

Lucifel just chuffed at her. "You give people 7000 years alone and they forget about Shaddai completely. Of course it's real."

Though the majority of nobility worshiped the Founder as their primary religious figure, the church was always very clear about the fact that he was not a god himself. Worship of the actual God that created the world was far more common amongst the commoners, though not much progress or research into the subject had occurred since the Time of the Founder. Now, sitting before her here was proof that God existed.

"Huh."

"Eloquent."

She could only sigh in response. All she really wanted was for him to be gone… no matter how pretty he was.

"If I'm an agent of God, then what does he want from me?"

"For now, be our eyes," he proclaimed, walking over to look at the window. "This world has been clouded by The Darkness for a long time, and it was only Ishtar accepting your summoning that opened the gates. We aren't aware of… the current state of affairs."

The angel looked back at her over his shoulder. "Suffice to say, the man upstairs isn't happy. 7000 years and you people have barely made any progress. You're lucky Enoch's up there vouching for you or you'd be suffering a Great Flood right now."

That struck fear into her heart a little. It wasn't very hard to figure out what a "Great Flood" entailed.

"God would… kill us?"

"Evolution is El Shaddai's wish for mankind, and when that is threatened he'll intervene in any way possible to keep it intact, even if it means wiping the slate clean," he said with no clear emotion in his voice.

The silence between them lasted for a time before Lucifel stood up straight.

"Well, you know what you must do. We'll be in touch."

*SNAP*

And just like that, he was gone. The quill pen fell over, clattering on her desk over her unfinished letters.

She sat down on her bed and simply let herself fall back onto it, still absorbing everything she'd learned that day.

A while later, Tabitha came in silently, laying down next to her with a book in hand.

"You know, Tabitha, life is… terribly vexing isn't it?"

The blunette simply nodded without changing her expression at all.

 **A/N: So, other than Founderism, I have no idea how religion works in ZnT. T'would stand the reason that they'd have some kind of explanation for how the world was created. If there is something from canon, then someone please correct me. I have not gone through everything yet. However, if there's not, then there's my explanation. They used to worship God, until the modern noble-commoner system was established afterwhich nobles worshiped the Founder and commoners still worship God.**

 **Ah, Lucifer. I hope you liked my interpretation of his character when Enoch's not around. This is just how I imagine him talking to anyone who isn't Enoch or God himself. I mean, he was a pretty big dick to Amaros who saved Enoch from The Darkness, mind you.**

 **Oh, and the comedic elements. I'm going to try and balance it with the serious as well as I can, and whatever turns out, it'll probably be better than how the series itself balanced its comedic elements with its serious elements (I.E. Not well at all).**

 **Can't say when the next chapter will come out. I have more research to do. Hopefully it'll be soon cause I'm having fun with this.**


	3. The Fires of the Heart Part 1

**A/N: Just so everyone knows, I'm pretty sure Lucifel doesn't actually mean anything when translated to Hebrew. Lucifer means "Light Bringer" or "Morning Star" in Latin and was mentioned a few times in the Bible, probably in reference to the planet Venus. The actual myth regarding him came later with the development of the myth of Satan.**

 **If one regarded the Luciferian mythos as canonical and wanted to interpret his name as having been changed post-rebellion, then an intelligent choice would be "Lumiel" which means "Light of God" when translated and is listed among the archangels, if I recall correctly. I'm going to continue to go with Lucifel as that's what the game calls him and I want to avoid confusion, but it's probably meaningless in reality.**

 **Oh, and for everyone else's names from the game, at least:**

 **Enoch = "Dedicated" (Seems about right)**

 **Metatron (derived from Latin word "Metator") = "A divider and fixer of boundaries" (Again, seems about right)**

 **Nanna = It's one letter off from Inanna which was a counterpart deity to, and eventually had her mythology absorbed into, Ishtar. In Sumerian, it means "Lady of the Heavens"**

 **Sin = Confusingly named "Nanna" in the original Sumerian, he was merged with the moon god, Sin, during the Akkadian Empire period of Mesopotamia. He's the father of Inanna and his name means "Illuminator".**

 **Ishtar = It's a given name and its original meaning is unknown. Astarte, the Phoenician version of her, is a derivation of "Ashtoreth" which is a derivation of Ishtar.**

 **Michael = "Who is like God (?)"**

 **Gabriel = "Hero of God" or "God is my strength"**

 **Uriel = "Fire of God" or "Sun of God"**

 **Raphael = "Healing/Medicine of God" or "God is Healing"**

 **Ezekiel = "God will Strengthen" or "Strength of God" (When translated as "Ezequeel")**

 **Sariel = "Command of God"**

 **Baraquiel (Spelled Baraquel in-game) = "Lightening of God"**

 **Azazel = "Arrogant ("Rugged" when translated literally) of God"**

 **Armaros = "Cursed One" (Boy, isn't that appropriate? Yeesh)**

 **Arakiel = "Earth of God" (Though translation is a little sketchy on him)**

 **Semyaza = "He sees the Name"**

 **Belial = "Worthless" or literally, "Without Value"**

 **Again, sorry for the long author's note, but I find this stuff interesting, and I figure it's better to get this stuff out of the way now rather than later. If any other names come up, I'll be sure to give their meanings as well.**

 **Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Louise's Room; Residential Hall)**

Groggily, she wrested herself from the grasp of sleep and rejoined the land of the conscious. Blinking her eyes open at the light falling across her face, which was gleaming in from the window, she could feel herself grasping a nice warm and fluffy pillow in her arms. Reluctant to fully awaken, she snuggled closer to the pillow, burying herself further into its warmth as her sore eyes fluttered closed once more.

"Grmpth…"

' _Wait, what…?'_

Something was certainly off here. Pillows don't grunt at you, nor do they actually emit warmth, as she had just noticed. Lifting a lid just ever so slightly, she caught sight of the color blue. This was all seeming very familiar…

"Louise, wake up."

Ah, that was it. Pulling back slightly, she forced her eyes to open completely to find her tiny friend in her arms with her ruffled uniform still on and her glasses askew. The fire in her soul reignited as her cheeks flushed immensely.

"T-Tabitha? What happened?" she said, distressed and still slightly lethargic. "W-Why a-are you in m-my bed?"

"You fell asleep," she responded in her same emotionless tone, though Louise picked up the lightest possible shade of pink on her pale cheeks. "Became clingy. Iron grip. Unable to escape."

Immediately she relinquished her hold on the shorter girl, bowing her head in apology. "I-I'm so sorry! I-It's just been so long since I've slept next to someone. My body probably thought you were my sister…"

What was wrong with her? She and Tabitha were both girls, so it was not improper for the two of them to share a bed as it would have been with a man. Not to mention the two had recently become friends and it appeared the blunette considered her as someone who could understand her feelings. She shouldn't be this flustered about it, so why did her face flush and feelings of guilt pile in her gut?

' _This smoldering feeling in my chest… what in the world is it?'_

"Sister?"

In her worries, she'd momentarily forgotten Tabitha, causing her to jolt at her friend's voice.

"Huh? Yes, I have two sisters back at home, and I was referring to my elder, Cattleya," she admitted, allowing nostalgia to overtake her, "She was the one to comfort me back at home. I could always go to her whenever things became too much for me to bear."

She looked at Tabitha, who was beginning to let an expression of longing slip onto her face, despite her best efforts.

"You are fortunate," the bespectacled girl said. "Had no one… have no one."

Louise's eyes widened in surprise as she began to understand just how far the depths of her first friend's loneliness reached. "What about your parents?" she breathed in disbelief.

The blunette's face darkened, or as much as it could considering her repression, making Louise immediately regret asking that question. "Tabitha, you don't have to tell me if it's too painful," she told her in a small voice. What she was going through inside, Louise knew it all too well.

There were a few moments of silence while Louise could see a debate running through her eyes. Though she was curious at what lay behind the stoicism her friend typically showed, she knew she had no right to demand more information from the girl. If what she'd said was true, then the emptiness of her heart was even more expansive than Louise's own, and she did not have an intelligent familiar to help her save herself. In light of that, the duty would have to fall on the shoulders of the strawberry-haired mage, and considering that this was her second friend in the entire seventeen years of her life, she was more than willing to carry it out. _'Not to mention it's the noble thing to do. I imagine God would approve as well,'_ she mused.

"Later, when there is more time," her unintentional bedmate finally answered. "Know about your life… Only fair."

While she was appreciative at the display of shared trust, there was something off about her previous statement. She could feel the dread start to form in the pit of her stomach. She'd forgotten something crucial again hadn't she?

"More time?" she mumbled out, embarrassed.

"Princess arrives soon. Should get dressed."

Immediately, she leapt up and ran to her balcony. She could already see the crowds beginning to move across the courtyards towards the front entrance where Henrietta would be arriving at high noon. If the sun confirmed anything, it's that high noon was rapidly approaching. With the speed of a cheetah, she dashed to her bureau of drawers and began tossing articles of clothing onto the bed.

"You can borrow some of my clothing, Tabitha. We're around the same size," she said, quickly shedding her nightclothes. "It's the least I can do after making you sleep in your uniform."

"Alright," she heard her companion say followed by the rustling of cloth. She wasn't about to turn around, though, lest the embers within be stoked once more. There was enough on her plate already without… whatever this was. _'Probably the heat of embarrassment,'_ she reasoned.

The awkward silence would only serve to continue permeating such thoughts, so to distract herself, she decided to ask a question that burned in her mind as she tugged her skirt on. "Kirche doesn't even offer to keep you company at night?"

The silence afterward was long enough to arouse the strong feeling that she'd made a mistake, however, her concerns were quickly assuaged.

"Sometimes. Off with boys, mostly."

Louise couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping her lips. "That does sound like her."

"Yes."

…

A foolish thought immediately crossed her mind. It was something she couldn't even admit to herself that she wanted more than anything. The words, however, were not something she could prevent from tumbling out. The idea was so logical, and fell in line with her current plans, so her instincts betrayed her and asked before her brain fully had time to process.

"Why don't you stay with me?"

She could swear that the world's temperature dropped by a quite a few degrees when she asked that question, freezing her in place. The sound of dressing could no longer be heard, filling the room with a thick silence that was about as comfortable as being stuck in a bog. The worst was the feeling of the shorter girl's eyes on her back, boring deep into her as the blunette was likely attempting to gauge her intent. Inwardly, she cursed her selfishness.

' _Now you've done it,'_ she berated, _'All she's going to think is that you're using her to stave off your own loneliness, that she's just something for you to fall back on. Good job; you've driven off your only real friend.'_

Spinning around, she found the tiny mage fully dressed in her clothes, which were a little bit loose on her, but otherwise perfect. She was still wearing her usual visage, appearing apathetic and generally emotionless, but Louise could spot the inquisitive air about her. Regardless, she should apologize for her forwardness.

"Tabitha, I'm sorry. I shouldn-"

"Did you mean it?"

The pinkette blinked once, twice, three times.

"Did I mean what?" she asked, incredulous.

"That you would allow me to stay with you," Tabitha replied, using more words in a singular statement than she'd ever heard out of her. "Do not worry; will not leave over something so simple. Speak the truth."

Somewhat taken aback, she averted her eyes. This was… troubling. She was supposed to be cold and unbreakable as steel, but when she was asked questions like this, her heart burned brightly like molten ore, as if the steel within her had never been forged. Admittedly, there was very little at stake here, but to admit such a thing would be admitting her own weakness which was something she was supposed to be forbidden from doing, even to her own friends.

Tabitha trusted her, however, and she found she could not betray that trust. Their rapport was still fresh and she could not jeopardize it by letting her feelings of doubt impede her.

"Yes…" she finally breathed out, her voice almost inaudible.

There was only a moment of silence before she received a reply. "Will think about it."

"What? R-Really?"

She simply nodded. "Cold, isn't it?"

Once more, Tabitha had silenced her with a show of understanding. Just how much the girl understood her feelings was beginning to worry her. Even in spite of her desire to take comfort in the one person close to her who maybe understood what she had gone through as much as she had herself, she would not wish for her to share in her fate. Tabitha deserved happiness as well, did she not?

"Shall we be off?" she asked, standing by Louise's window, staff in hand.

' _Looks like I'll have to sort this one out later,'_ she thought regretfully, _'Tabitha…'_

"Yes, let's not keep the others waiting," she said, pushing her thoughts to the back of her head.

Turning around, the smaller student placed a couple fingers on her lips and blew, producing a high-pitched whistle.

Moments later, a great flying lizard, which Louise immediately recognized from the summoning ceremony a week ago, descended from the skies and latched itself to the side of the tower she was positioned in, sticking its long neck through her window.

"Sylphid," the blunette addressed the creature, patting the blue scales of the dragon's snout, "This is Louise. Friend. Don't be rude."

" _kyu, kyu_ " the dragon seemed to coo affectionately. Thinking the dragon looked more cute than frightening, the pinkette took a few steps forward, raising her right hand to repeat the motion. Instead the soft skin of her fingers met with the beast's tongue instead.

The texture of the oral appendage was comparable to that of a cat's, abrasive as a rough horsetail plant and yet not enough to break the skin or cause her injury. It was quite slimy, though. Of course, she hadn't noticed as, beneath her glove, the runes on her hand lit up with a hot, itching sensation. Information flooded into her head at the contact.

 _Species Identification: Rhyme Dragon_

 _Dimensions: 6.587s x 1.582s x 2.941s (Standard Brimiric Measurement System)  
_

 _Wingspan: 7.149s (Full Spread)_

 _Physical Force Threshold: 879.613 j/mb^2_

 _Abilities: Rhyme (Understanding and formation of human speech and thoughts); Nature Magic (Sha-_

Quickly, she pulled her hand back in distress. _'What… What was that?'_

'… _Vindálfr, The Right Hand of God, and the familiar capable of controlling any beast,'_ Colbert's voice arose from her memory, taunting her.

Before the darkness could creep into her once more, she rapidly shook her head in denial. _'No! I can't possibly be a Void Mage! It's just impossible! Besides, there aren't any more Rhyme Dragons...'_

"Louise?"

She looked up to see Tabitha staring at her, from her seat at the base of the dragon's neck, reaching out a hand to her.

' _She would know… I could always ask her… Later…'_

With fear still gripping her, she reached up and took that hand... while conveniently forgetting that her own was covered in dragon saliva.

From the heavens, she could hear a familiar voice laughing in her ear.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Main Entrance)**

Heading up the Princess' convoy, she was surprised to find a familiar face, especially one she did not expect to see up close again.

There, leading the guards in front of Henrietta's Unicorn-drawn carriage, was Jean-Jacques Francis, Viscount of Wardes, the current leader of the Griffin Knights of her royal highness and… her fiancé as arranged by their parents. By this point, she'd long expected him to have had the marriage annulled so that he might take a noblewoman both closer to his own age and of greater magical ability than herself. However, she'd never received notification of such, and as far as she knew, they were still slated to be married once she was graduated from the Academy. Not that she could if all she could cast were explosions.

Looking upon Wardes now, she strangely felt very little. Of course, he brought back some precious memories of a small boat sitting in the center of a pond, but she found she did not yearn for him like she used to. He was still quite handsome of course, perhaps even more so than when she'd last seen him all those years ago, especially with the positively suave mustache and goatee he'd grown out. For as much as she appreciated those features, however, she did not feel attracted to him like she had in the past. He had comforted her, yes, and he was her fiancé, but she simply could not imagine him as more than a close friend.

Wardes' knights lined up in rows on either side of the Princess' carriage with her personal servants rolling a red carpet along the path to the Academy's front doors where the Headmaster and his secretary were dutifully stationed, Colbert accompanying them as well. Leaping off the back of his Griffon, the Knight Captain walked to the door that the driver had just opened, and offered his hand. A white glove reached out and grasped the hand, stepping from the carriage and unveiling the face of Louise's first friend after so many years apart.

If her heart had been a mere flame before, it was surely an inferno now. From her amethyst eyes through which she could view the joys and stresses on her soul; to the chestnut hair, which framed her face perfectly; to her pale skin, which was as chalky white as the Greater Moon; to her thinly curved lips which inspired her curiosity about the feeling of their touch, Louise was bewitched by a youthful, radiant beauty whose brilliance she could compare to the sun hanging high in the sky.

As the woman stepped down the aisle provided by her soldiers, it appeared that Henrietta spotted her childhood friend, their eyes briefly locking and encouraging an even larger smile on the brunette princess and the pinkette's heart to take flight from her chest. A torrent flood of memories came roaring back into her consciousness, all of which she viewed in a new light. The two had talked and played together in the palace gardens, confiding in each other their lives and escaping from them when they could. Though she had not mentioned her life at home often for fear of spoiling the mood, the few times she had, Henrietta, like Wardes, had listened to her grievances and had comforted her in her time of need, embracing her as Cattleya often did. She cared for her not as a knight to a child or a princess to a royal playmate that could simply be replaced at any time, but as Louise de la Vallière, her dear friend.

Finally, she understood the embers within her soul. The pieces all fell into place perfectly to paint a picture of the truth. Her appreciation of Miss Longueville's figure, her ogling of Lucifel for his feminine beauty, the burning in her heart whenever Tabitha was close by, and now this yearning for her princess instead of the Viscount she was to marry could all only lead her to a singular conclusion.

' _Surely I am cursed, to suffer such a fate among the rest of my hardships,'_ she thought, turning around completely, unable to face her former friend.

Tears quietly escaped her eyes as she knew not even the Rule of Steel could protect her from this. Her mother had provided strict instructions regarding attraction, yes, but so rare was the affliction that she currently suffered that Karin had not taken it into account. There were solutions to such a thing, usually handled by the church, but none of them were pretty. Besides, what use did she have for them? She had literally been visited by an angel and told of her blessing by the Heavens. Demonic possession was definitely ruled out.

"Louise?" she heard that quiet monotone call out to her, causing her to grit her teeth. She did not turn, not able to face her either.

"I… I must be alone for a while, Tabitha," she said, trying to keep her emotions under wraps, "You may visit me tonight, but allow me the rest of the afternoon to myself, please."

Several long moments of absent sound opened the possibility of the girl having left her there perhaps, but shortly thereafter she heard a single word uttered to her.

"Alright."

She dashed off after that, wanting to escape as soon as possible.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Courtyard)**

Though she did not know how long or far it is she ran, it must not have been that long or that far, for she soon found herself in the courtyard before the Earth Tower. It was the Vestri Court if she remembered right.

"Louise de la Vallière?"

That was a decidedly male voice and definitely one she recognized, though not in a friendly way. No, it was more like pity and disdain. This was the first time, however, that he had referred to her by name, a fact which did not matter to her at all as she ran to him, almost knocking him over in the process.

"Guiche de Gramont! I'm going to regret this greatly, but please kiss me right now!"

It was a futile hope that perhaps the affliction had not affected all of her. Perhaps there was still part of her that sought after the opposite sex as she was meant to. Gramont was certainly not the candidate she wanted to test this theory on, but unfortunately he was the only one around at the moment and one of the few males her age that she was familiar with here at the academy. He would just have to do.

The demand did not even seem to register with him at first, but after a few quiet moments of realization, she found him looking taken aback at the request.

"A-Are you sure?" he questioned, looking unsure of whether or not this was something he even should want, "I mean, wouldn't it be your first?"

Irritated, she grabbed his collar, bringing their faces closer together. "Do I LOOK more enthused about this than you do?! There's something I need to confirm, so I'm asking you politely: PLEASE kiss me."

Taking a deep breath, the blonde took a look around the area to make sure no one was around, as this was a perfect opportunity for someone to walk in and embarrass them both.

*ahem* "If it's me that you desire," the blonde told her seductively, cupping both of her cheeks, "Then I shall be happy to oblige."

He pulled their faces together and their lips met in a cold and passionless bond. Her chest, which had held a roaring flame prior when looking at her best friend, was now as empty and cold as a Germanian winter. Not willing to give up, she pressed further, jutting her tongue to his lips as she'd seen described in various romance novels. Guiche seemed reluctant, but he opened them to allow her access. Each step of the dance, their tongues fumbled, stepping over each other and out of time to the rhythm. She tried and tried to feel something, anything, in this act, but all that formed within the pit of her was a deep feeling of shame.

Finally, she'd had enough and placed both hands on his chest, pushing him off. That intense feeling of emptiness overtook her once more as she sank to her knees. "I knew it," she mumbled sorrowfully, "Nothing."

Guiche was feeling even more awkward than before at the apparent crying girl on the ground. Girls propositioning him for oral contact was something he was used to, however the end result was usually not such a sordid affair. Seeing no other good option, he bowed deep in apology "That was terribly unpleasant for you, wasn't it? I could not perform to your expectation and for that, you have my apologies, Louise de la Vallière."

"No, it's not your fault," she replied quietly, drying her eyes as she backed up against the tower wall, "Also, what are you wearing?"

Having been focused entirely on his face, she had not taken a moment to notice his attire of a long-sleeved work shirt, trousers, and a pair of black boots. This was not the kind of outfit worn by a noble, or at least not the kind one should wear. Another thing that had escaped her notice was a gigantic mole, which had a makeshift bandana tied around its head as well as a bundle of cleaning supplies held in its claws, at his side which was presumably his familiar, or at least she hoped it was. Though she could not just forget her problems, perhaps she could distract herself from them for a little while at least.

"Oh this?" he regarded his attire with an air of nonchalance, "These are work clothes. It's my punishment for… committing a heinous act. I must clean the academy's walls without use of my magic."

Indicating the mole creature with a hand, he told her, "Thankfully, I was allowed to enlist Verdandi's help as well."

"That's your familiar?" she questioned, unimpressed.

"Isn't she just the greatest!" he exclaimed, dropping the cleaning equipment as the two proceeded to cuddle.

Had she not been asked to keep her mouth shut about it, she would have argued her own familiar as the greatest for saving her life.

"What was this crime that you committed, anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Umm… That's a bit awkward," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I may have, um… accidentally injured a member of the Academy's servant class."

Her eyes narrowed, unamused. Punishment of disloyal servants was one thing, but injury to their person was unacceptable and unbefitting of someone calling himself a noble. "Explain."

Spotting her disdain, he was not quite eager to continue down this line of discussion and he would not have, had he the choice. He faced an explosion otherwise, and without the ability to defend himself without possession of his wand.

"It was… a young maid around our age," he began, grimacing at the tale. "She'd discovered an infidelity of mine by accident and revealed it to the young maidens that I was involved with, and in public I might add."

Looking shameful, he hung his head. "Like the fool I was, I blamed her for the whole affair and sought recompense she could not provide. I meant to scare her off with a grand show of force, and summoned my magic, only to end up hurting her in the process…"

"You insolent, pig-headed, FOP!" she interrupted him angrily, "Do you not know that a noble should always take responsibility for his or her own actions?! Isn't your father a general; has he taught you nothing?"

"I certainly do know now, Louise de la Vallière. The headmaster was quite clear and direct about my violation of the Code of Conduct as well as my failings as a noble," the young man answered her calmly. "My punishment was swift and harsh as it should be, and I apologized to the women involved, of course. Montmorency and Katie pushed me away as I expected, however, the very same maid that I had wronged the most found the kindness in her heart to forgive me, even though I did not deserve it. Siesta was her name, I believe."

Louise was honestly surprised by the show of maturity the typically-foppish young man was giving off. She was honestly beginning to wonder whether she had woken up in a different world than the one she had collapsed in. Not only had she finally found a genuine friend, but people were being courteous to her and… calling her by name… _'Wait a minute…'_

"Why?"

Guiche paused in his ruminations over why he had been forgiven to stare at her incredulously. "What is it?"

"Why do you speak to me normally and call me by name instead of calling me 'Zero'?" she spat, with a bitterness dripping from her voice. "If it's pity, then I want none from you, Guiche de Gramont."

The young man winced at her words, before looking off into the distance.

"It is not pity so much as regret," he stated slowly. "Myself and the others all thought that your poor proficiency with practical magic was due to laziness and slacking. There are still those who hold that opinion even now."

"How could you think such a thing?" the pinkette yelled, infuriated, "I spent all of my time studying every facet of every volume I could find in my attempts to fix my magic! How could you possibly think that my explosions were due to laziness of all things!"

"It was the easiest explanation," he told her, looking at her and letting her see the remorse in his eyes. "So, we tormented you, not knowing of your constant struggle until the day came when you summoned your familiar and cast your first successful spell. In truth, I was impressed; a spirit is a rare and powerful creature to have as your familiar."

"That is, until you collapsed," he continued, "Many of our fellow students made fun of you for 'failing' the contract, but Mon-Mon was able to tell me instantly that there was something wrong with you. When I approached the Professor was when I learned of your true peril and your countless attempts to return to form."

"It was only when I looked upon your face, pale as death, that I realized the extent of our actions and what they had done to you," the blonde finished. "I put you down with the rest of them, but I never wished for your death, and I would not be able to live with myself if I knew that I was part of the cause."

"So, will you accept sincerest apologies Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Valliére," he addressed her, bowing deeply once more, "from this noble Guiche de Gramont for all his transgressions against you?"

Another dream was coming to life right before her eyes. Here and now, one of her primary sources of torment apologizing to her and admitting his wrongdoing against her. This one did not take much thought as Guiche was honestly almost as easy to make fun of as she was, though she was not sure exactly how much he realized it, and she could sympathize with anyone who had Montmorency as a lover. It wasn't like it was Zerbst coming out and apologizing to her. She had no idea how she would handle that situation or even if she would be able to, should it crop up. Unlike Guiche, the red-head had crossed the line several, several times. Regardless, the dandy in front of her, she felt was worthy of forgiveness.

"I do so accept your apology Guiche de Gramont," she said in a light, but amused voice, "so long as they do not occur again."

"I believe I can live with that arrangement," he said, raising back up to full height and smiling at her.

If she was not mistaken, she had just made another new friend. Though the issue regarding her orientation was still at the forefront of her mind, perhaps enduring it would not be quite so bad.

* * *

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Courtyard)**

"Ah, there you are, Tabby!" she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

Immediately she identified the approaching presence as her 'best friend', Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst. She was honestly unsure whether this classification remained appropriate with the introduction of Louise as a constant presence in her life. Louise was the one who could understand her suffering, yet they'd only been closely acquainted for three days now. Kirche, on the other hand, she had known as a friend since she'd inserted herself into Tabitha's life on her first day, and she had shared her past with the taller girl. _'Which one qualifies as the "best" friend? Hmm…'_

"Kirche," she greeted, in her usual monotone.

Since the crowd had dispersed, and Louise had left her on her own, she had been walking back to the residential halls.

"Where have you been, lately?" the red-head asked her with a tone of concern in her voice, "I couldn't even find you in your room last night."

"I have been with Louise," she answered truthfully, which stopped the Germanian in her tracks.

"Louise? I'd heard that she had woken back up, but… why have you been hanging around with her?" the young woman asked her, blind to her feelings.

"We are friends."

"Friends?" she questioned, skeptically, "Since when have the two of you been friends?"

"Since she awoke. We share… common ground," Tabitha stated, dropping a vocal hint.

One of the things she was thankful for, was Kirche's developed ability to not press further when there was a subject she would not be comfortable talking about. Dealing with her had been more difficult when they'd first met and the tanned girl had proved to be a veritable and unrelenting hurricane of personality, demanding all the information she had to hold. Thankfully she'd learned at least some restraint, and she knew to exercise it now.

"Well, you'll always be my adorable, little Tabby, no matter who you choose to befriend" she said, patting the blunette on the head, "but I'm rather surprised that you of all people would approach Louise."

She looked down. "Could not allow her to collapse again. Supported her."

"Collapse again?" she said, dubious once more. "I thought the Professor said her illness was turning around a few days ago. I even visited her to tell her to pull through."

"Not a bodily illness," she replied, vaguely, "Illness of the soul. Definitely not cured yet."

"What exactly do you mean, Tabby?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Researched," she expounded, holding up one of the books she had been reading lately. "Soul saw no reason to continue existing in body. Wanted to move on. Wanted to die."

She observed her friend's widened eyes and sharp inhale as she realized exactly what she was getting at. Indeed she had begun researching ailments of the soul in an effort to see whether or not she could assist Louise in surpassing the depression that had almost tilted her into the Abyss. What she had found had only increased the urgency with which she planned to rehabilitate Louise. After all, she could not allow another doll like her to be molded; that was not acceptable, especially to the only person she knew who she could actually relate to.

"Louise wanted to…" Kirche said shakily.

"Yes," she replied simply, "Must have suspected. Have been avoiding her."

The taller of the two winced at the accusation. "I only suspected she wouldn't want to see me so soon after and ordeal like that," she admitted, "Now… I know I need to apologize to her for real, but hell if I know exactly how I'm going to do it."

"Yes. Apology, no more teasing, no more groping, no more…" Tabitha kept on listing off different offenses, many of which Kirche did not remember herself, while rapping her lightly on the forehead with her staff each time.

"Something like this will take more than merely words," she suddenly said in the middle of Tabitha's list, and looked the shorter girl directly in the eyes. "Can I count on you to help me when the time comes?"

"Always." Kirche had always been there for her when she had needed it, and she would not hesitate to return the favor. "Need to go. Will be staying with Louise, if you need me."

The redhead merely nodded, before a wry grin broke out on her face. "Make sure to ravish her in my place, okay?" she instructed, in spite of the 'no groping' and 'no marshmallow' rules established earlier. "I don't want her feeling too safe, especially if she's trying to steal MY best friend."

"Will try," she shot back, making her friend laugh. If Kirche had learned some modicum of restraint from her, then from Kirche, she had learned a modicum of humor. She knew there was no way to fully rid Kirche of her taunting nature, so she had to learn to merely play along when necessary.

Having judged the conversation as complete, she departed begrudgingly for her original destination.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Tabitha's Room; Residential Hall)**

Immediately after closing and locking her door, she renewed a number of concealing enchantments against potential listeners from both close by and from afar. She had been warned numerous times of the possibility that practitioners of divination might unveil her identity and how she should defend herself against them.

Brushing past numerous stacks of books, she approached her desk and pulled from her central drawer a large solid black disk that was embossed with a ring of lettering in a language whose characters she did not recognize. Given how literate she was, this was an impressive feat indeed. Placing it on the desk, she quickly chanted the activation code that had been given to her.

" **Iczhhcal"**

At this utterance the lettering on the disk lit up in a bright white and in the center appeared a translucent white image of a woman that was an infinite source or curiosity as well as contempt: The Void Familiar of Gallia.

"You are late with your report, my little Chevalier," the woman said, bemused.

When she had first appeared before her most hated uncle, Joseph de Gallia, she had the appearance of an old woman, someone who could serve as her great-grandmother in another life. However, each passing day brought her closer to youth, with no sufficient explanation given other than a vague statement about 'no longer needing to maintain a guise of wisdom', until she had settled into her current appearance of a woman in her mid-30s. Thankfully, she was not wearing her "Cyclops Armor" as some had taken to calling it. Whatever that thing was, it was not natural and she had no desire to see it when she did not have to.

"Investigating further leads which have proven useless," she waved off her lack of communication. "Report is as follows: No evidence of Void Mage found in royal family. No candidates found among the student body. Continuing integration for further surveillance."

"Hmm… and what about the Familiar Summoning Ceremony? I am told that a humanoid familiar such as myself should have been summoned to a Void Mage, if there is one present at the Academy."

"No such familiar has been summoned," she told a half-truth. A humanoid familiar had indeed been summoned, just not on the physical plane.

"Hmm… Joseph shall be quite displeased with that, though perhaps that is a good thing for my purposes," she purred, licking her lips. "Has there been any sign of your cover being compromised?"

"No, Ma'am"

"Good," she said in a straighter voice, "Your mission remains unchanged for now. Maintain cover and continue observation. Remember what is at stake."

The representation of her dissipated, leaving her alone in the room. _'As if I could forget…'_

Quietly, she changed into her pajamas, grabbed a couple pillows and some of the books she was currently reading, and slipped out the door.

* * *

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Rooftops)**

"The operation begins tomorrow during the Familiar Festival," the masked man said to her. "While everyone is at the event, you'll attack the outer wall with that Golem of yours, and I'll maintain a suppression field so that we are not heard. Between the two of us, it should be relatively simple."

"Good," the green-haired thief puffed, "I like my jobs quick, easy, and high-paying."

"Don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you when the Blade is safely in our hands."

"What is this Blade anyway, and why is it so important?"

"It's a Weapon of God. That should be all you need to know.

 **A/N: Bit of a long chapter here, and this is only half of the scenario I imagined. This is long enough already, though, so I won't push it. Doing so is a good way to run headfirst into writer's block.**

 **I got away from the Biblical stuff for the most part and just focused on the character interactions for the time being. If you want more God stuff, you'll have to wait till next chapter.**

 **I could go further into my decisions for stuff in this chapter , but I'm tired, so I'll leave it to my review responses.**

 **Oh, and before I go, I thought I'd add in my reading list for anyone who was wondering exactly what kind of stuff I'll be drawing upon. Also, I'll be going on a short hiatus soon so I can actually sit down and read this stuff in addition to the rest of the ZnT light novels.**

 **Anyway, here it is:**

 **John Dee's Five Books of Mystery (My guide to Enochian)**

 **The 3 Books of Enoch**

 **The Greater Key of Solomon**

 **The Lesser Key of Solomon (Lemegeton)**

 **Sections of the Tanakh (Likely the Torah and then whatever else I deem relevant)**

 **The Book of Jubilees**

 **Sections of the Zohar**

 **John Milton's** _ **Paradise Lost**_

 **Tablet 6 of** _ **The Epic of Gilgamesh**_

 **Now, I'm not going to expressly read all of this on the hiatus, which will probably occur after the next chapter if not this one. I'm mainly breaking to read the light novels and Enoch, just so I have more info on heaven. Also, I need to confirm a few things about Dee's magic system, before I jump wholeheartedly into showing Louise using it to blow up demonic armies or whatever.**

 **Also, I have found a candidate for a replacement of Siesta's Grandfather which is difficult because there aren't a ton of people in the Bible who have no historical significance as well as a connection to a legendary artifact.**

 **I feel like I need a second opinion on this, though I don't want to spoil anyone in the audience even though it's not that important…**

 **Oh well, till next time. Ciao!**


	4. The Fires of the Heart Part 1 Point 5

**A/N: Alright, before we move on, I should probably make something perfectly clear. I am an Agnostic and religion plays a very small part in my life. The views expressed within are partially of my own, but the vast majority is based on what is expressed in El Shaddai itself as well as what I find in the religious texts that I am viewing for the purpose of research. Any embellishments taken are for the purpose of entertainment. This story is primarily an extension of my interest in the theology of the Abrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to a much smaller extent.**

 **I know I sound incredibly paranoid here, but you can never know for sure that you won't be offending someone when it comes to religion. This is the last time I'll bring it up; I promise. If someone complains at me, I'd be more than happy to respond via PM much like my review responses. Anyway, let's get to it.**

 **Review Response:**

 **Guest – Just so you know, I usually do these by PM, but since I can't PM you, I'll just post my response here. First of all, thank you for reading and your compliments; my own stance on my writing is usually that it's incredibly dry and essay-like as I'm incredibly good at writing those or so I've been told. Funny you should mention, "The power of friendship and kindness," as we'll be getting into that somewhat in this chapter.**

 **Also, I would recommend getting an account even if you don't plan to write anything. It just helps keeping track of all the stories you're interested in.**

 **Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Louise's Room; Residential Halls)**

"Oh, Miss Valliére! You're back!"

That voice was the first thing she heard upon returning to her room, and it appeared to belong to a young woman who was in the process of replacing last night's sheets, clad in the Academy's servant-class uniform. She was of tanned complexion, similar to that Zerbst as her mind disdainfully noted, while locks of a darker shade fell behind her shoulders and crystal blue orbs gazed upon Louise from across the room. Her features, however, were soft and her expression was soulful and caring. Were she in a brighter mood and more comfortable with herself, Louise would have described her as "cute".

"Do I know you, Maid?" she asked, not unkindly. As far a she knew, she'd never seen this girl before, and most of the servants simply remained in the background, taking care of things when needed and not interacting with the students unless they were commanded.

"Ah, forgive me, Miss" The maid said, bowing to her, "I am Siesta of Tarbes. I took the duty of keeping your room cleaned and tidy while you were ill."

Truth be told, she hadn't taken much notice of her surroundings, but since she had awoken everything had been quite well-kept. Her things were all neatly arranged and she'd found not a hint of dust since her return. Additionally, that pesky pile of hay she'd set up for her familiar had been disposed of and the floor swept spotless. Whoever this maid was, she was clearly quite adept at her job. What was her name?

' _Wait… Siesta?'_ she thought, a memory springing up within her brain. "Aren't you the servant that Guiche assaulted?"

"That I am," Siesta responded, her face unchanged, "Mr. Gramont saw fit to apologize to me personally, though. So there's no harm done."

"No harm done?!" the diminutive mage gawked. "He could have killed you!"

"But he didn't want to kill me," she returned, tilting her head. "God teaches us that the punishment must fit the crime, and I believe that he has been suitably punished by the Academy's rules. Mr. Gramont had enough kindness in his heart to apologize to me, and I saw no reason not to forgive him."

Ah yes, the teachings of God still held by the world's commoners. Having been a noble child, she had been primarily raised on Founderism, but she knew at least a little from the original Bible. If she was recalling correctly, the proper phrase was lex talionis **[1]** , or the Law of Retaliation stating that "…a man who injures his countryman: as he has done, so it shall be done to him…". In that way, the only way to achieve true justice would be for Guiche to suffer the same injuries as the maid in front of her. That was a law of the ancient world, though, and while a thorough talking-down and cleaning the Academy's walls wasn't exactly her idea of fair, she was hard-pressed to think of something more appropriate to reprimand the dandy. Perhaps his apology to her also made her want to go soft on him.

"I suppose you're right…" Louise trailed off. Then she had a thought.

Sure, Guiche had apologized, and the maid was lucky he was the type to grow a conscience, but every student in the Academy wouldn't be so kind. There were many foolish, spoiled children who had not the proper discipline and would likely abuse their power over the maid in such a position and, in the event of injury, would simply leave her to be found later rather than assisting her. That would not do; nobility were supposed to be wise and fair rulers of the land and protectors of the common-folk who could not defend themselves from outside threats. At this rate, they would never grow into proper nobles, and these were to be her peers in the future. This was not something the daughter of the Heavy Wind could stand for, oh no.

Having completed the changing of the bedding, the young woman stated, "Well, I should be going, Miss. I hope you have a pleasant evening." She picked up a number of previously-unseen cleaning supplies and began marching toward the door.

"Wait!" the pinkette exclaimed, her attention diverted from her own thoughts. The maid stopped abruptly and turned to face her once again with a somewhat worried expression on her face.

"Is the room not to your liking, Ma'am?"

"What?" she blinked, "No, of course not. The room is excellent and I'm grateful for your dedication."

She puffed her unfortunately flat chest. "I wanted to say that should another incident occur, whether it be to you or one of your fellow servants, do not hesitate to come to me. Nobility should be protecting commoners like you and not carelessly hurting them. I shall make my fellow students remember that with explosive force if I must."

The girl looked at her with widened eyes before her face settled into a bright smile. "As long as they are not harmed…"

As if she would mercilessly torture someone for such a crime. She was more mature and civilized than that!

"You wound me," Louise returned, shaking her head, "I am no savage. Even in my anger, I know to control myself."

"Then I thank you, Miss Valliére," Siesta said, nodding in gratitude, "You are a fine example among your peers."

' _Am I…? No, I am still below them for they can cast proper magic, and once they grow into adulthood and truly learn respect and responsibility, they will still possess more prestige than I could ever hope to have,'_ she thought, solidifying her resolve once more. _'I must fix my magic!'_

"I have my other duties to attend to. I must be off, Miss," The maid called to her, "Unless there is something else you need?"

"There's nothing. You're dismissed," she finished, walking over to her bureau to begin changing into her nightclothes.

The maid gave a bow before departing from the room, closing the door behind her.

As Louise pulled her nightgown over her head, her thoughts turned back to her affliction. Founderism taught her that such feelings were that of an unholy lust caused by dark magic or demonic possession and should be purged either by way of exorcism or by death if that failed. She could tell absolutely no one, especially not the girls involved.

Henrietta had duties and responsibilities to her country and a liaison with a woman, even one of such a high standing, would be a stain on her reputation and that's if she didn't immediately order an investigation by the clergy. Beyond that, she was sure the princess was already in love with someone if her "decoy missions" from so many years ago were any indication. Tabitha would most likely push her away again, no matter how much the two of them understood each other, and there was no way she was going to risk that. _'That's not even mentioning what would happen if mother and father found out,'_ she thought, shuddering at the prospect.

Before that train of thought could spiral further downward, there was a knock at her door. Her breath caught as she remembered just who that could be. In her rush to escape Henrietta, and the subsequent meeting with Guiche, she had completely forgotten that she'd told Tabitha that she could visit. This was bad. She wasn't ready to see the bespectacled girl for which she held affections just yet.

' _It'll be fine,'_ the pinkette breathed, walking over to the door, _'I only told her to…visit…'_

Having opened the door, she caught sight of her tiny friend dressed in a nightgown of her own and cradling a couple pillows and a small bundle of books in her arms. Oh, and there was the fact that she looked positively adorable. It REALLY didn't help her situation.

"Have thought about it," the blunette stated quietly. "Want to stay with you."

' _Merde!'_

Going back on her word was absolutely out of the question, especially after she'd resolved to help Tabitha with her own issues. Feeling the heat rise within her, she stood aside to allow her friend entry.

"Come on in, then."

Tabitha quickly entered the room. Already familiar with the premises from her previous visit, she laid all but one of her books down on one of the night tables, placed her pillows unto the bed, and took her place beneath the sheets. Cracking open the volume in her hands, Louise sighed in slight relief. Thankfully, she did not feel such a pull to her studious friend as she did to the princess, and Tabitha was not one to actively provoke her for conversation, seeming more complacent with burying her head in books even in the presence of friends. Perhaps this would be more manageable than she had first anticipated.

Lying down on her own side of the bed, she turned away from Tabitha, staring out the window at the stars in the sky. It was not long before she felt the warmth of a hand on her shoulder, causing her body to tense up.

"Is something wrong?" she heard a voice quietly ask from behind her.

"It's nothing, Tabitha," Louise replied quietly. "It's really… nothing at all."

She imagined the girl had nodded before the hand had left her shoulder. Already, she missed the feeling, which only served to tighten the coils within her chest even more. Her eyelids tightly clamped down.

How was she to hold this within herself forever? There was no one to which she could turn with this problem that she could trust not to call the clerics. _'Wait, Clerics… Church… Maybe there is someone I can rely on… I just hope the claims of him being all-loving are true.'_

' _God, please help me'_ the strawberry-haired mage prayed silently. _'Show me the way forward, for I am lost.'_

In spite of the tempestuous beating of her heart, she managed to drift off to the world of dreams without another word between her and the girl with which she was sharing a bed. Repeating her prayer over and over, she tumbled into that dark chasm called sleep.

 **Unknown Location**

*Slosh*

It was the first place she'd met him, out here on the water. She came out here whenever her mother's training got too intense or whenever she was punished too harshly. One day she'd come out here and he was simply there when she looked up. He must have used levitation or his mastery of wind to arrive without her hearing, but that didn't matter. He'd given her comforting words , he cared, and she'd fallen in love with him, or at least she thought she had.

She was not a child anymore, however, and the one across from her was not a handsome young man.

In the place of Wardes stood a woman, back facing the pinkette mage. Strands of white spilled over tanned shoulders in the form of a long ponytail which blew gently in the breeze. A simple, common she might say, beige garb clothed her muscular frame with a lack of sleeves revealing her dark skin.

' _This is an important place to you, is it not?'_ the woman spoke, her deep voice resounding through the air and surrounding her, as if it was the wind itself.

' _Yes,'_ she answered in a diminutive voice, _'Are you Ishtar?'_

' _I am, though what you see is merely the body of one of my vessels from long ago.'_

' _I have questions.'_

Milky white eyes met her own as the warrior turned to face her, revealing the hardened features of her face. The profile was different, but she was definitely reminded of her own mother by the woman's gaze.

' _I know you do,'_ she said. _'You lost yourself and turned to faith for assistance as so many do. That is why I am here.'_

She sat down cross-legged before the pinkette, causing ripples to form in the surface of the pond and the various bangles she was wearing on her wrists and ankles to ring out. The expression she wore was soft which betrayed her features and was still intimidating in a way, though she knew the intent was to soothe her.

' _Ask, Little One,'_ the elder woman told her, making Louise's eye twitch ever so slightly. _'I will answer within the bounds of reason.'_

Though she was disgruntled about being called "Little One" of all things, she needed answers and she needed them now.

' _W-Why a-am I…'_ the tiny mage began, tripping over herself for lack of knowledge on how to broach the subject. _'Why… I…'_

' _You want to know why your heart no longer burns for the one you met here, on this little boat.'_

She looked up at the warrior, slightly confused. _'How…?'_

' _I am within your soul, Little One,'_ she answered brusquely, cutting her off. _'What you see and hear and think are known to me.'_

' _Oh.'_ She honestly didn't know how to respond to that. It was only around then that she realized that she knew very little about the spirit that she contained. She knew that Ishtar was a warrior and "prophetess", whatever that entailed, and that she was an "agent of the Lord", but not much else. Perhaps she should ask, but the pinkette had the feeling that she probably wouldn't understand the response if she received one at all.

' _The answer to your question is simple. It is my doing.'_

Oh, it was just her the whole time. Nothing to worry about.

…

' _What?'_

' _You are not from my homeland, so you would not know about me,'_ the woman explained, her image of serenity intact. _'You are my Vessel and some day, when you are ready, I will awaken within you and we will be joined as one soul, indistinguishable from each other. I will gain everything you have and in return you shall receive all of me, with the exception of Heaven's secrets which you are not meant to know.'_

That served nothing but to make her even more confused. _'What do you mean we'll be joined?! And what does any of this have to do with-'_

A hand was quickly held up, silencing her. _'Patience, Little One, patience. I will explain everything in time, so long as you promise not to violate my privacy regarding topics I do not wish to discuss. Do you think you can manage that?'_

It was a bit of an unfair deal, having her thoughts be as an open book without knowing those of her supposed benefactor, but what more could she ask? It was either grasp onto the one chance she had to learn about what was happening to her or end up with nothing and continue living in pain and confusion. At this point, was the choice not obvious?

Looking disgruntled, she slowly nodded, agreeing to this deal for the moment.

' _When I say we will be joined,'_ she began, _'I mean that you will gain my Ruach Hakodesh[2], that which makes me a Prophetess, and you will be granted aspects of my persona as well as well as my memories. I will not possess you, as I know you fear, and I will not replace you. In return, I shall gain your memories and experiences and carry them with me to future Vessels; does that sound fair?'_

Again, she did not know what to think. She had been saved by this woman, and yet she still knew too little. Not to mention this business of her sexuality fogging everything even further. Sharing such a deep bond… It was not something she could decide on just yet.

' _I don't know,'_ she admitted.

' _That is fine. The answers will become clear to you with time, as they did to each of your predecessors.'_

*Slosh*

The boat proceeded to rock some more as the older woman comfortingly stroked the top of her head, tousling her hair slightly. It was an indignity, she knew, to let this happen, but honestly it WAS comforting to have this woman here for her. As with Tabitha, even if her motives were not entirely clear, Ishtar understood the depth of her pain. She had to have seen it, here in the depths of her soul.

' _The attraction has always existed within you,'_ Ishtar continued, _'My presence has simply awakened it.'_

' _Wait,'_ Louise stopped her, firmly shaking her head, _'You're saying I've always been like this? There's no way.'_

' _Much like angels, us humans are manifestations of the light of El Shaddai[3] given persona. The difference is that our souls are restricted by the flesh,'_ the warrior explained, looking off into the distance. _'The Lord's divine presence exists in all of us as both male and female energies[4]. What you are feeling is simply a result of those energies coexisting as part of your soul.'_

'" _And the soul chooses the life it will be born into…"'_ the pinkette recited quietly, lowering her head, _'No… There must be some kind of a mistake…'_

A hand was swiftly placed beneath her chin, lifting her gaze to meet those bleached orbs.

' _Shaddai does not make mistakes,'_ the elder woman stated firmly, the sympathetic tone from earlier all but gone. _'The mistake is that of all mankind. We separate ourselves from others by way of ego, placing our own superiority over others above all else.'_

The grip on her chin was released as Ishtar let herself relax back into her state of calm, closing her eyes as she did so. _'If you can dispense with that attitude and let yourself open to others in mind and spirit, then you will be that much closer to Shaddai. Whomever you should love, be it man or woman, matters little in the eyes of our Lord, so long as you are loved in return.'_

What the warrior had said did have some sense in it, Louise decided, but the feeling of apprehension still loomed over her. Was this yearning by her heart truly acceptable?

' _Are you saying it would not be sinful to love another young woman?'_ she asked, incredulous of such a notion.

Ishtar simply stared at her before cracking a grin and chuckling. _'You are referring to scripture, I presume?'_

She nodded, unamused. _'I was taught that the Testaments of Creation forbid such a thing.'_

In response, she received a shrug. _'I do not know of your writings, but the Torah only expressly forbids the sexual act between men in the 613 Commandments[5], and it was written when such was a common form of worship to false deities and as a form of prostitution. There is no commentary on love within the same gender.'_

To that, she could truly say nothing. She wasn't familiar enough with the Bible to argue. Despite the words of approval to her attraction, she did not feel all that much better. No matter how God felt on the matter, humanity would still hate her for such a thing. It wasn't simply a matter of acting against the establishment, for she was part of one of the country's most respected noble families; she simply could not ask anyone to take that fall with her and share the possibility of excommunication or even worse, death. She was simply not worth that risk.

' _I know what you think,'_ her monologue was interrupted. _'You believe that no girl would be willing to accept the dangers of being with you.'_

' _I am merely a third-rate magician whose only contribution to society is making explosions,'_ Louise admitted bitterly. _'Why should anyone care so much about me?'_

Ishtar gave her a deep frown. _'You do realize that I chose you as my Vessel for a reason, correct? I do not merely select girls at random.'_

' _Oh?'_ the mage grunted. _'And what reason is that?'_

' _If you cannot see it now, you are fool,'_ the warrior shot her a wry smile. _'For now, perhaps you could consider that there just might be someone that needs you so much as you need her?'_

' _Who? Who would need me?'_

' _Why don't you go and find out, Little One?'_

All of a sudden her head felt like it had been struck by a smith's hammer. Her vision swam and she could not maintain any sense of balance at the pounding of her head. She felt her knee impact against the wood of the boat before her body was submerged in the water of the pond. With no strength to rise back to the surface, the blackness took her. Only parting words were left in her conscious mind.

' _Remember that you were granted free will by the Lord. The future is yours to shape as you see fit.'_

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Louise's Room)**

Looking up from her volume, she eyed the sleeping Louise who was currently clutching an assortment of pillows and nestling her face into them. Tabitha allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction at not being caught off-guard a second time and coming prepared. Unfortunately, she could not be entirely at peace as her strawberry-haired friend could not seem to get comfortable. She kept tossing and turning in spite of the blunette's best attempts to pacify her.

She could probably guess what the girl was dreaming about as well, as her thoughts turned back to why exactly she was here. What she'd told Kirche wasn't inaccurate by her estimation. The volumes she had delved into were quite clear on the depressive state that would cause such a thing as her soul trying to escape from her body. The pinkette did not meet all the symptoms, but the most important one, the belief that no one cares about you, definitely applied to her. There was a thick layer of denial in place, but Tabitha could see through it easily.

The truth was that she had considered the same fate for herself in the past. She had little left to live for other than the possibility of perhaps seeing her uncle die, though _that woman_ 's presence was ever reducing the chances of that happening, and one day liberating her mother. As much as she would like to simply forget, there were those times when she lost hope completely, usually at the low points in her dangerous missions she would undertake for the Crown. She always found a reason to continue going on, but there were points when she had considering just giving up on everything and letting death take her. If anything, she wanted to spare Louise from ever feeling like that again.

Thankfully, she knew the comfort that even one person can bring from all the time she'd spent with Kirche, so she was attempting to practice the same method. The only problem was that she had absolutely no idea how to act. Kirche was simple and predictable the majority of the time, but Louise continued to defy expectation and logic. The blunette could tell that there was something deeply troubling her friend, as she was downright terrible at hiding it, but she could not guess exactly what it was or how to deal with it. The only option was to wait and attempt to gain her trust little-by-little.

There was one thing she was certain off, though: Whatever was bothering Louise, had something to do with the Princess…

…

*clack-clack*

Footsteps… in the distance. Too light to be those of a teacher and a different sound than the standard, academy-issue shoes. The diminutive mage squint her eyes in the candlelight. _'This is an anomaly…'_

Setting down the book she wasn't reading and blowing out the candles in the room, she positioned herself at the side of the door, pressing her ear to the wall. There was nothing she could do about the moonlight streaming from the windows, however, thanks to the angle, she was sufficiently hidden should there be an intruder.

*Clack-Clack*

The sounds were indeed coming closer ,Tabitha notes slipping out a spare wand from within her sleeve. There were a lot of reasons that a non-student could be wandering the halls of the Academy at night, and not many of them were good ones. If there was ill-intent, especially assassination, Louise was the most likely target of the students of this tower.

*CLACK-CLACK*

Whoever it was, they were on the other side of the door now. Tabitha pressed herself flat up against the wall, quieting her breathing to avoid detection. She could hear a key being inserted into the lock from her position. _'Room keys stored in Headmaster's office. To filch one… Most devious. Cannot let them near Louise.'_

The door swung open and a single assailant stepped in as predicted. Not quieting their footsteps was a foolish move… unless this person had information on Louise's general lack of ability to defend herself and lack of a familiar to resolve the issue. This only served to further fuel her will to protect her friend.

The blunette let a scant few moments pass before she dashed out from her position. Her opponent was clearly caught off guard as their reaction to her presence was to sluggishly turn towards her oncoming assault. With the time given, she quickly gripped the left wrist and twisted the arm behind the back of her surprisingly small adversary, causing a girlish cry of pain. Ignoring it, she pressed up against the girl's back, jabbing the soft underside of her chin with the wand she held.

"Don't move," she whispered into the ear of the young woman. Seeming to understand her position, the mystery girl refrained from any further attempts to struggle.

"W-Who…?" the half-formed question stumbled from the girl's mouth before it was swiftly cut off by another jab to the chin.

"Not here," Tabitha instructed quietly. "Out in the hall. Understand?"

There was a shaky nod at least from what she could tell and the two very awkwardly moved towards the door with the mystery girl still held in her firm grip. Once they were outside of the room, the blunette made her captive close the door with the hand she still had free.

"Will release you now," the tiny mage stated. "Turn to face me. Keep your hands visible. Understand?"

"Y-Yes."

With that, Tabitha immediately released the poor girl's wrist and lightly pushed her forward, redirecting her wand directly at the girl's head. Immediately, her captive complied with her earlier instructions, quickly turning to face the blunette and bringing her hands forward, the right one massaging her left wrist.

Now that she was not holding the young lady closely in her grasp, she could see the hooded cloak that the girl was wearing, obscuring her entire body as well as her face. _'Could this be Fouquet?'_ Tabitha thought for a moment before shaking her head. _'Too amateur. Need to learn identity.'_

"Remove your hood," the blunette commanded, catching the attention of her hostage.

"What? Oh, right."

Complying with the request, she let fall the fabric, exposing the brunette hair and lilac eyes beneath.

Her own eyes widened significantly in surprise as a single thought ran through her head. _'Speak of the devil and SHE shall come…'_

"Would you mind not pointing that thing at me?" the princess spoke politely in spite of her situation. "I'm sure neither of us wishes to start an international incident."

Snapping out of her stupor, Tabitha quickly slipped her wand back into her sleeve and gave the lowest bow she could muster.

"My deepest apologies, Princess Henrietta de Tristain," she articulated as delicately as possible. "I believed you to be an assailant. Could you find it within yourself to forgive me for such a grievous insult?"

Speaking in her normal direct and brusque manner would not only be incredibly rude to someone of such a high station, but she could very well be executed for this, so making a good impression was essential. That meant she had to waste breath and energy forming full sentences for now.

"There is no need to apologize. I suppose I would seem quite suspicious looking back on it now," Henrietta returned, sounding amused. "Though I would like an explanation as to who exactly you are and what you are doing in the room of my dear friend Louise."

"Of course," the blunette stated, rising back up. "I am Tabitha Chevalier de Norfatul, and I am a friend of Louise. After her ordeal, she was lonely and in need of care. I am keeping her company until she is feeling better."

At that, the royal's expression softened. "I see. I am glad that she has found such a reliable friend, even if your methods are a bit extreme."

Tabitha bowed her head apologetically. "Once again, you have my apologies."

"And once again, there is no need," Henrietta replied before turning her attention towards the door. "Is she awake? Can I see her?"

The blunette shook her head. "No, she is still recovering. It is best to let her rest for now."

' _That and I don't want Louise to feel any further distress,'_ she thought to herself.

The royal turned to look at her mere moments before nodding. "You're right, of course. In that case, would you please deliver this to her for me?" From within her cloak, she produced a simple envelope with Louise's name written on the front. As she took it in her hands, however, she could detect a series of complex enchantments that were preventing her from opening it or even divining the contents. Something was telling her that this was not just a friendly correspondence. However, she could not refuse this task, so she quickly bowed her head a second time.

"I shall ensure she gets it, Your Highness."

"Please call me Henrietta. A friend of Louise is a friend of mine," the princess said with a light smile before turning her attention to the Moons gleaming through the windows. "Speaking of Louise, is there something that I should know about her?"

Tabitha furrowed her brow in response. "However do you mean?"

"It's just… that look she gave me when I spotted her at my entrance… I have seen that before on the face of another…" she spoke seemingly to no one as she continued staring out the window at the Moons.

Confused, the blunette just gave the most accurate answer she could. "Her back was turned, so I do not know what look you are referring to."

"Huh?" the princess jumped, startled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I let my mind wander."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Tabitha de Norfatul," Henrietta said, giving an awkward curtsy with the hem of her cloak, "but I'm afraid I must take my leave if there is nothing else. Wardes is sure to take notice of my disappearance soon."

She returned an equally awkward curtsy with her nightgown. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, my princess. I bid you a good night."

"And you as well," the royal replied, turning to leave. After a few steps, she stopped once again and turned back. "Oh, one more thing."

"What is it, my princess?" Tabitha answered from within the doorframe.

"You are Gallian, yes? Your accent gives you away."

And there was another reason she kept her speech brief; there was much less chance of her slipping into her accent. Thankfully, she wasn't _that_ undercover, so she didn't have to hide her nationality at least, though this could cause problems in the future.

"That I am," she admitted truthfully.

The brunette looked from sided-to-side before speaking. "We've received some strange rumors as of late regarding abnormal plant growth in Gallia, possibly some advanced form of Earth magic. Would you know anything about that?"

' _No doubt the work of that woman,'_ she thought bitterly, though she could obviously not admit that here. Not yet, anyway.

"I have not returned to the motherland since the beginning of school a year and a half ago," she told a half-truth. "I have no knowledge of what you speak of."

"And do you know what a Watchtower is?"

That genuinely confused her for that question had absolutely nothing to do with the discussion up to that point, but she had to answer nonetheless.

"It's a tower that one may use to keep watch of the borders of a region of land?"

The princess gave a light chuckle. "Correct. Thank you for answering my questions, Tabitha. Goodnight."

And with that, she turned and left, replacing her hood once she was further down the hall and disappearing into the night.

Tabitha, on the other hand, returned to the room, rubbing her eyes as fatigue was beginning to set in.

' _No… Don't want to fall asleep… Don't want to… have the dream again,'_ she thought, turning towards the bed.

There lay Louise, still squirming around and the pillows she had been grasping fallen to the floor next to her. It seemed there was only one way she was going to get a peaceful rest tonight by Tabitha's estimation. Sighing, she put aside her glasses and slipped beneath the covers, wrapping her arms around the pinkette's waist, nestling her face into the slightly-taller girl's back. With time, the girl stilled her movements and her breathing, which had previously been erratic, settled as well.

Tabitha was… warm.

Maybe it would not be such a restless night after all. Maybe for once she could… be… at… peace…

 **Compendium of Religious and/or Philosophical Names and Terms:**

[1] Lex Talionis – Basically the "eye for an eye" law if you couldn't already have guessed.

[2] Ruach Hakodesh – Means "Holy Spirit", roughly. More on that later.

[3] El Shaddai – Closest translation is "God Almighty". Plain "El" and "El Shaddai" both are a couple of the 72 names of God. Can't believe I forgot to list this in the names previously.

[4] male/female duality of God – One of the primary tenets of Kabbalah.

[5] 613 Commandments – Yeah, I'm not making that up. After the original 10 were written by God, a whopping 600 more were compiled by mankind within the Torah.

 **A/N: This was supposed to be done around Halloween, but I had to cut out a very large chunk and rewrite it twice because I was dissatisfied with it And, in my typical style, it just took me forever to finish because I was being a lazy bum about it. The familiar festival and the part I've been looking forward to the most, that being Louise fighting Fouquet, was supposed to be in this chapter as well, but I realized that it would end up too long and it wouldn't flow as well as if I just split things up. So, this is technically Part 1.5, as the part where I expound some more upon the flame metaphor isn't till next chapter. Also, there was supposed to be a couple more scenes of foreshadowing, but again, I didn't want to make it overly long.**

 **On the research front, I bought a Tanakh from my local bookstore and have begun reading it, and I plan to acquire a full set of Zohar Volumes and read them all front to back before the story is done. It's an expensive prospect, but will be ultimately worth it to introduce more Kabbalistic elements with authenticity.**

 **Only got a volume and a half more into the light novels, though, because Saito is an awful character and he's the protagonist. Not a very good combination. Imma try and finish the rest between now and Christmas, though I make no promises.**

 **Hope everyone likes the Compendium, though, cause that's sticking around. I don't want to explain stuff in my A/N's anymore as it's just inefficient and possibly spoiler-y. So, I want to have a dedicated section for it and that's it.**

 **Welp, thanks for reading once again everyone. Make sure to review and make me feel really bad about how long this took. Ciao.**


	5. The Fires of the Heart Part 2

**Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_ / *Onomatopoeia* / _Written_ / **"Command Speak"**

 **Unknown Location**

It was a rather fanciful cocktail lounge from the age of industry. While it was but an old memory from yesterday for some, for others it could be obscured in the shadows of tomorrow. At the bar sat two figures on a pair of stools, though only one had a drink in hand. A smooth, jazzy music passed through the air as they spoke.

"So, you didn't tell her, huh?" Lucifel asked, wearing a lopsided grin. "Sounds familiar."

"I will tell you the same thing I told you in each preceding and succeeding iteration." Ishtar replied, downing a glass of golden liquid. "She does not need that knowledge for the moment."

"Circumstances are different this time around, though, aren't they?" the angel said, resting his head on his hands.

"Yes…" the warrior said, looking down at her right hand, "these runes prevent me from separating from her."

"Which means that when she finds out on her own, not only will she hate you, but she'll have you stuck in her head for the rest of her life," he smirked at her. "My, I can just imagine what Yeshua[1] would be saying right about now."

"Yeshua?" she returned his smug grin, "It would just give me another excuse to bring up his temper."

"His temper?" the angel chuckled. "I'd think you'd bring up that musical theater production by that one hack… What's his name?"

She started giggling. "Given how many times you have brought up silver jumpsuits around him, I think he is used to it by now."

"Yeah, and besides, that just gives him an opportunity to bring up that embarrassment of a movie named after you."

Despite her best attempts at maintaining a straight face, Ishtar couldn't help but cracking up and the two shared a jolly laugh.

"Oh…" she sighed, calming down, "Sometimes I miss… home."

"Well, it would appear you've found a new one." Lucifel responded, turning towards her with a rare serious expression on his face, "If you don't screw it up with the girl you're in, that is."

The warrior's face darkened before she took another drink. "My sins are my own to unveil."

"You know how the man upstairs feels about misdirection."

"I do", she returned, meeting his gaze, "and nothing I have said to her so far has been a lie."

"It's not the full truth either," he said, getting up from his stool. Walking towards the door, he glanced back at the warrior over his shoulder. "Have you truly changed at all, if you're still hurting the ones you love?"

Another full glass was downed before her response came. "Who are you to say I love her?"

Picking up his umbrella, the angel answered. "Because she's you, just like the rest of them. Or are you going to deny that as well?"

He turned towards her once more, but received no answer. The warrior was just staring down at her ale, looking depressed. It was only when he was reaching for the doorknob that she spoke up.

"Wait. Lucifel."

"Hmm?" he hummed, turning his head.

"How is the search going?" Ishtar asked, looking over her shoulder.

"For the Shepherd?" the angel returned. "Despite the extent of our view being limited to a single school, there's already a promising candidate. Pure soul and a believer."

"Good," the woman replied, returning to her drink. "That's all I needed."

"I'm going to visit Enoch when I go back up. You want me to tell him anything?"

"Tell him I said hello and that he's always welcome to visit me down here," the warrior said , taking another sip.

"I'd think he'd be a little too tall to fit in a place like this," the angel mused, "but I'll see you around."

Opening the door, he stepped out into a blinding white light on the other side, extending his umbrella, and then he was gone as it closed behind him.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Familiar Festival; Courtyard)**

 _My dearest friend,_

 _I regret that I had not the opportunity to speak with you in person before this point, but such circumstances cannot be avoided, I suppose. I am afraid that matters of grave importance have arisen in recent months and, though I loathe that I must involve you in such, I require people that I can trust with absolute certainty. Above all others, I believe you are worthy of that trust, Louise. With that in mind, I ask that you come to the top of the Void Tower once the Familiar Festival has ended. It is a secluded place where we can discuss things in detail. I also wish to see you again, to see that you are well and to make up for our time apart. I will be waiting for you there._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Henrietta de Tristain_

For what was most likely the sixth time that day, she read the letter.

With jovial sounds of music and conversation , Louise was seated in the audience before the meticulously constructed stage where the students would demonstrate the abilities of their familiars. Much to her disappointment, there was no way she could enter the ceremony, and so she had to remain here for the rest of the event while she watched her fellow students perform. Honestly, she had little interest in the Festival since she could not enter, but Tabitha had entered and she did want to see what her friend could do along with Sylphid. So, here she sat.

Thankfully the burning had died down ever since the previous night. Whether it was finding out what the issue was from Ishtar, or her simply getting used to it, she didn't know, but what had once been a roaring flare was now crackling embers. It warmed her inside, but not painfully so.

"And the princess truly gave this to you?" the pinkette asked in continued disbelief.

"Yes, once again," Tabitha replied, nonplussed. "Last night. She came. You were in bed."

Henrietta had visited her in the night and now she wished to speak in an isolated location about "matters of grave importance". She honestly didn't know what to think about any of this. What matters that could concern her, she could not guess, however it sounded serious, whatever it was. This summon she could not ignore, even in spite of her conflicting feelings. The Princess had given her an admission of absolute trust and she could not simply ignore it.

"I wish you would have woken me," Louise said, holding up the letter. "I would have liked a social visit. This sounds we'll be discussing matters of state or some-such."

The blunette simply looked at her with what could be considered an apologetic expression.

"You seemed… distressed by her presence. Did not want to wake you. Need your rest."

"Distressed?" she replied, incredulous. "Did I really? In truth, I was more anxious than anything."

It was an incredibly blatant lie that she had little doubt Tabitha would see through immediately, but she could not simply come out with the actual reason why she'd run away the prior day. That and she knew her friend would at least respect her privacy in the matter which was confirmed by her silence. Oh, how grateful she was for the girl's continued presence. Tabitha was someone she could actually be around and talk to without feeling like she was being poked and prodded. She was respectful unlike, say…

"TABITHA!"

…Zerbst.

She turned her head to see a familiar redhead running towards the two of them. Or, more accurately, she was running towards Tabitha as the Germanian didn't even seem to notice her.

"I heard that you entered the festival," the taller girl said, sliding to the stop. "Not trying to take the first rank from Flame and I, are you? Hmm?"

"Outcome already decided," the shortest of them played along. "Have something more important to worry about."

"Oh?"

The blunette simply jabbed a thumb behind her at Louise who was watching the exchange with a blank expression. Kirche returned a similarly blank stare which soon devolved into an awkward one.

"Louise… I didn't think you'd be here…" the red-head trailed off, looking unsure of how to proceed.

' _That's right. I'm a fool not to have expected this would happen,'_ Louise thought. _' Tabitha and Kirche are still the best of friends. If I continue to keep Tabitha close to me, then I will have to inevitably deal with Kirche as well.'_

It should have happened much earlier, in fact, seeing as Tabitha was hanging around her all the time nowadays. She could only surmise that the Germanian cow must have been avoiding her, or possibly her blue-haired friend had been keeping her away. Was she really so selfish as to occupy all of Tabitha's time and keep her from her friends? _'Right. A noble must be kind and considerate of others, as should a person of faith.'_

Rising to her feet, she turned to the pair, keeping her face expressionless. "I'll leave the two of you alone for now." Nodding to her blunette friend, she said, "I'll be back in time to cheer you on. I promise."

"Louise, wait!" she heard Kirche call out, but she ignored it. She was in no mood for the redhead's antics, especially not when she was to meet an old friend today. Keeping her head down, she drifted into the crowds, leaving the two of them far behind.

* * *

"Ah, she makes it so difficult," sighed the fire mage, exasperated. _'But then, that's your fault, isn't it?'_

"Afraid to confront her," her little Tabby replied, seeing right through her as usual. "She feels the same."

Tabitha was, of course, correct. She'd never been quite good at correcting her mistakes and in fact, it seemed that she was only good a running from them judging by her presence in this academy in the first place. The whole business of the feud between the Valliére family and her own had been an amusing subject, made all the more so when Louise had taken it entirely seriously. So, she played along, with some harmless teasing… or so she thought.

What Tabitha had revealed to her had chilled her to the bone, and upon thinking of it, her friend was entirely right. It was relatively innocent at first. A remark here and there at her expense, just enough to break her from that shell she built up around herself. Not to mention she just looked too cute when flustered, which was just about all of the time spent around the taller girl.

By the time she was halfway through their first year, things had clearly gotten far out of hand. The rest of the student body had joined in on the teasing over Louise's lack of talent and such, which had only encouraged her further. Topics on her jabs expanded past the feud and delved into such things as her failed spells, how small she was for her age, and that awful "Zero" nickname. She targeted things like that which cut at her self-worth, and Louise always responded the same way. Not once did she run or cry or show any sign of weakness; all she'd ever done was get angry and flustered. It all seemed so harmless.

' _Till she tried to let go, anyway…'_ Kirche thought to herself, grinding her teeth.

The fire mage had never guessed at the insecurity and worthlessness boiling beneath the surface, and she had cursed herself for allowing it to get this far.

"It's not that I'm afraid," she admitted sadly, "but more like I don't know how. Every time I think of an apology , it just sounds so cavalier."

"Need something to show her," her best friend recalled.

"And I've been trying to think of what, but I can't seem to come up with that either!"

"Come to my room, after the festival. We can plan."

"Aw, thanks Tabby," her lips up-turned once again.

It had been a little lonely lately without Tabitha, she'd admit, so meeting up with her again would be a pleasant way to spend an evening. Plus, with all the books she had, there had to be something in there that could help them. Oh, Tabitha might know something that could help since she was so close to the girl in question. Speaking of which…

"So, how are the two of you getting along anyway?" Kirche asked, changing the subject. "Is Louise making a good wife? I know she has the worst mood swings."

"She is happier… but still distant," the blunette replied, ignoring her. "Hiding something."

"That's not good! How are the two of you supposed to get along as a couple if you keep secrets from each other?"

"Kirche," she looked at her, unamused.

The older girl simply chuckled. "Sorry Tabitha, but I can't help it. The way you hold yourself around her is honestly a little scary… It's like you're protecting her. I've seen a lot of boys act like that around their lovers."

She'd caught it the previous day and just now as well. Even when she had a book, Tabitha appeared to be paying more attention to the people around them whenever she was around Louise, looking like she would pass swift and harsh judgment on anyone who dared to make fun of the pinkette. Of course, Louise herself was oblivious to it, but Kirche was alert enough to notice people actively avoiding the pair. It was both cute and intimidating that someone so young and so small as her Tabby could garner such a reaction from others.

The girl in question directed her gaze at the ground. Though the blunette had always been almost impossible to read, Kirche now detected hints of internal confusion which caused her eyes to widen. _'Wait, is she really…?'_

She kneeled down and gripped her best friend's shoulders. "Tabitha, I was just joking around. Are you actually…? Do you… want to be with Louise?"

Tabitha flinched slightly and looked back up at her. After a moment, she shook her head.

"No," she said firmly. "Pointlessly dangerous. No purpose in it. Don't feel that way…"

' _Sounds a lot like denial if you ask me,'_ the red-head thought. Giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze, she said, "You can't control who you fall for, you know. If that's how it is, you know I have your back. It's not like I don't know what that's like, after all."

That earned her a raised eyebrow. "How so?"

She gave her a cat-like grin. "Let's just say there's a reason I gained the runic name, 'The Ardent', back home."

"Family can't have liked that."

"You bet," Kirche got up, with a disgruntled look on her face, "Mother called me a… what's the word you guys use over here and in Gallia?"

"Maupin?"

"Something like that. It's just one of the reasons I'm here and not in the cushy Germanian Magic Academy."

"Regardless," her tiny friend interrupted that train of thought, "don't want a… partner. Too much risk. If Uncle ever found out…"

Kirche nodded in understanding. "So long as you don't follow in my footsteps," she said, taking out her scheduling book. "Managing a harem of this size is getting to be such a hassle. Between all the dates and everything, I just don't have any time to myself anymore…"

While she was modifying dates for the month ahead, she heard from behind her, "Louise should be back by now."

"Eh?" she remarked, looking over her shoulder.

"Said she would be back to cheer for me. My turn is next," the girl said, pointing to the stage.

Indeed, the one on the stage, having an unfortunate failure in his attempt to demonstrate his bugbear's power of electricity, was the student listed to go up prior to Tabitha.

"Should we go after her? Any number of things could have happened."

She didn't receive an answer, however, as Tabitha was already walking over to the waiting area to take the reins of Sylphid.

 **Tristain Academy of Magic (Summoning Grounds; Courtyard)**

' _I'm running away from my problems, aren't I?'_ she thought, staring down at the ground.

The plot of land was stained inky black by the Darkness that Ishtar had brought over with her, whatever it actually was. A thick miasma was rising from the spot, and from what she'd been told, the staff hadn't been able to clear it away no matter what they 'd tried.

She didn't really know what she was doing here, only that she needed to get away from Kirche. In the past, she's always been able to stand up before her, but now seeing the older girl instilled some kind of primal fear in her. What that fear was directed at she didn't quite know, but like a mouse, she'd skittered off, unable to face the red-head. What would mother think of her, at this moment?

"Louise?"

At the call of her name, she turned her head in the voice's direction. Walking up to her, was a familiar blonde fop in work clothes accompanied by a giant mole.

"Ah, Guiche. They wouldn't let you enter?"

Apparently still embarrassed, he averted his eyes. "No, that was a part of my punishment."

Turning back to the spot, she asked, "What do you know about this?"

The dandy shot her a quizzical look. "I've seen a lot of the teaching staff trying to get rid of it. None of the four elements worked and none of them were able to get rid of it. Why?"

"I don't know," she admitted truthfully, "I just feel…"

*ba-dump*

' _What?'_

*ba-dump*

It was like a pulse, but it definitely wasn't coming from her heart.

*ba-dump*

There was a loud roaring sound behind her eardrums. She made the attempt to cover her ears, but it was no use. The vibration was coming from within.

*CHIME*

There was someone behind them! Instantly, she spun around.

"So, you finally noticed us," the masked man said. "I expected more from you."

Two robed figures stood before them, both wearing hoods. The man on the right hid his face beneath a mask while his companion's face was masked by the shadow cast by his or her hood. They both cut a somewhat menacing figure, though Louise was not frightened, standing firm.

"Ah, you frightened us," Guiche shifted around nervously. "A-Are you here for the Familiar Festival? It's in the-"

The man held up a hand. "Silence, boy. We have no business with you."

Between each of his fingers was six black spheres of pure night. Gritting her teeth, Louise took caution, keeping her eyes on the pair.

"However, I'm afraid we cannot allow any witnesses," he told them, menacingly, tossing the spheres in front of them.

*ba-dump*

Again, she felt the pulse as the spheres seemed to absorb the light around them, growing larger by the moment.

"We must be off," the mysterious figure bid them au revoir.

Looking up, she saw a gigantic humanoid figure approaching from behind the pair, stepping over the outer wall of the academy. Upon further examination, she noted that it was made entirely of stone, so it was a golem! The was no vibration, she noted, which could only be the skill of a talented earth mage softening the clay in the ground to create a cushion for the it to step on. That could only mean one thing: to be able to manipulate stone and dirt with such precision; that man must be the thief, Fouquet!

The two of them leapt onto the Golem's shoulders, presumably propelled by a levitation spell. The man with the mask, gave them a short wave. "Enjoy our little gift," he called out to them.

Turning her attention back to the little seeds he'd thrown on the ground, she watched as they grew to an oblong, almost rectangular shape. From the corners of their blocky forms, limbs sprouted, giving them a vaguely humanoid shape.

"Gah!" the dandy beside her exclaimed, falling on his bum while Verdandi held onto him in fear. "What are these things?!"

All six of them stood up on their small, stick-like legs, a feat which appeared impossible, but was clearly happening before their eyes. Silver patterns etched themselves across their midnight skin which shimmered before their eyes as ripples on water. At the top of them, pairs of spots appeared, glowing a sickly yellow colour. Their position would indicate that they were eyes.

' _Remember Mother's training,'_ she thought, _'Don't fear or panic. Don't show weakness. Keep your breath under control.'_

Louise kept herself firm, breath steady, and ready to run at any time. The dark figures seemed to skitter about, surrounding the two of them. She noted that they left dark patches wherever they would step, just like the one behind her. Slowly they were closing in and though she had no idea what they would do to the two of them, she couldn't imagine it would be pretty.

Drawing her wand from within her shirt, she pointed it at the nearest one of them. Perhaps she could provide an opening and retreat to get help. Even if the two of them, or really just her judging by the blonde fop's soaked trousers, could take on whatever these things were, there was no way the two of them were taking on a golem of that size by themselves, and especially not one created by so experienced a mage as Fouquet.

"Fireball!" she cast.

Instead of a successful ball of flames or her usual failed explosion, the creature she'd aimed at froze completely in place. After a few curious moments it began to jitter on its "feet", faster and faster until it transitioned into full-on violent shaking with the undulations on the surface of its skin surging intensely. Then, the pinkette noticed something rather worrying: it was growing.

When the beast was about twice the size of the others, the shaking stopped and it looked at her with a menacing glare. Its companions, who'd been watching the occurrence, gave what looked like a cheer and then turned back to the pair, continuing to close the distance.

"Louise!" Guiche called out, gripping her shoulders and cowering behind her, "Why did you do that?!"

"How in the world did you expect me to know that was going to happen!" she yelled back at him, annoyed, "Can't you do something?!"

"No, my wand was confiscated, remember?" the blonde murmured pitifully, "Else, I could summon my Valkyries to help."

"Oh, that's right! You're an earth mage!"

In a moment of inspiration, she turned around and shoved her wand into his hands.

"Here, use mine! We don't need to beat them; we just need to get away long enough to get help!"

Sheepishly, he grasped the instrument and began to chant while waving it in a spiraling pattern. Drops of energy flew from the tip and hit the ground, drawing liquid bronze from beneath the dirt. The metal quickly melded into the shape of female warriors wearing armor with wing-like adornments.

"Go, my Valkyries!" He shouted, as his golems proceeded to raise their spears.

The moment their swords and spears stabbed forward into the creatures, the golems turned grey and fell apart into ash, much to the dandy's surprise and chagrin.

"What? B-But… T-That's not…" he stuttered, backing up only to be caught be Verdandi.

' _What are we supposed to do now?"_ Louise thought, eyes shifting back and forth as the monsters drew ever closer. _'Is this it? Is this the end?'_

"My, you give up rather easily don't you?"

*SNAP*

The world was grey. Everything was frozen again.

She knew only one man who was capable of that. Well, "man" might be a bit of a stretch.

"Lucifel?"

"Who else?" the dark-haired man asked, walking up to one of the creatures.

"This is a Nokto[2]," he said, knocking it on the head. "It's a lesser demon; really just a bit of vileness given consciousness."

"So that's a demon?"

The angel only smirked at her. "Yup. They're an unnatural existence, so it looks like pretty boy here's natural magic won't work right on them."

"So how are we supposed to fight?" the pinkette mage questioned, distressed. "Unless you can get us out of here."

"No can do, I'm afraid. That would screw up time," Lucifel told her, shaking his head. "You'll just have to use your fists."

She stared at him, slack-jawed, in disbelief. "MY FISTS? Are you insane?!"

"Ishtar is incorruptible, so you should be alright with touching them. And she knows how to fight even if you don't. Just trust your instincts."

*SNAP*

Before she could respond to him, colour returned to everything. Immediately one of the newly-dubbed Nokto lunged forward at her. Time seemed to slow down and, without thinking, she drew back her right arm, jabbing her elbow backward and curling her fingers into a fist. To the outside observer, it would appear that light was gathering around her arm, almost as if she were "charging up" an attack.

All at once, everything sped back up, and she stepped forward, releasing the tension and allowing her arm to fly forward. The force of her assault met the creature in mid-air, hitting its lower torso like a freshly shot cannon ball. With a crater planted in the beast, it flew backward, landing flat on the ground. For a moment it struggled to get back up, but the effort was wasted as it merely fell over and vanished in a puff of smoke.

In the place of her foe, a group of red orbs of light were left which quickly flowed into her. Any strength she'd lost in the previous attack was returned as soon as they touched her skin. The flames were reignited within her, but this time it was different. The heat didn't merely stop at her heart, but spread through her entire body, engulfing her in the blaze.

This feeling was something she recognized as it was something her mother had described to her once. "Battle Fever" she had called it. When a soldier loses all reason and fights simply for the joy it brings him, making him a formidable force while at the same time making him an easy target. Should something like this ever befall her, she should fight it all costs, or so she had been told. However, now that she was experiencing the flames for herself, she found it difficult not to relish the feeling it gave her. For once in her life, she had the power to act and she could use it effectively.

Guiche and Verdandi could only watch in astonishment as her hair seemed to burst into flames without seeming to burn up at all. The Nokto seemed to take caution, taking defensive stances at the defeat of their comrade.

' _Why are you running? Your enemy is right in front of you.'_

Without waiting for another strike, she leapt towards the closest of the remaining five, sideswiping it and breaking the creature's guard. She followed up with a quick flurry of punches and ended with a spinning kick, knocking it back and banishing it from existence.

Three of the four remaining decided to use group tactics and leap at her all at once. Instead of simply dodging, she gripped one's "arm" and used its momentum to strike the other two before slamming it into the ground. More red orbs gathered and she felt her strength gathering once more.

Despite her limited constitution, this felt exhilarating. Louise wondered if her mother had ever felt like this in her earlier days, and perhaps that was why she chose a life of battle.

Only one was left and it was the big one that she had mistakenly tried to explode earlier. She stared it down, attempting to look intimidating in spite of her stature and it returned her gaze unblinkingly. Taking him down would be a bit more difficult as he had size and a bit more defense on his side and she had no weapon with which she could channel her strength.

"Fireball!"

Thankfully, she didn't have to worry all that much as the creature was suddenly engulfed in flames. Lucifel had already told her that natural magic would not work, so this was little more than a distraction, but it was enough.

As the large Nokto turned to face the incoming dragon with two figures seated on its back, she jumped forward and, with all the strength she could muster, crashed into it with a shoulder tackle. The creature fell to the ground as she rolled forward, safely out of the fire that had been started.

Looking up, she saw that the dragon that had been approaching was, in fact, Sylphid, and Tabitha and Kirche were seated on her back and looking at her strangely.

*CHIME*

The Nokto that she had tackled was slowly rising to its feet as she saw, and there wasn't a way she could defeat something of that size with only her fists.

' _A dragon could probably do the trick, though,'_ the pinkette thought.

Looking up at Tabitha, Louise yelled, "Magic doesn't work! Use Sylphid to **kill it!** "

She felt a pulse from her right hand when she said that. Looking at the back of her palm, she gasped in surprise as the runes began to glow beneath the glove she was wearing.

'… _those runes on your hand match those of the Vindálfr, the Right Hand of God, and the familiar capable of controlling any beast.'_

Colbert's words reverberated in her mind as she remembered what had been lost amongst the commotion of making friends with Tabitha, the crisis of her sexuality, and the reappearance of the Zerbst.

"Ah!" Speaking of which, that very same Zerbst had fallen off the dragon as it ran forward and knocked down the Nokto once again, with Tabitha hanging on for dear life. Snarling, the great lizard opened its jaw and bit down on the creature's "head". The humanoid beast struggled as it attempted to hit the dragon with its spindly arms and legs, but it was to no avail as Sylphid tore the chunk in its mouth and spitting it out on the ground. At that, the Nokto went still and joined its brethren in a puff of smoke, producing more orbs which flew into Louise.

With the enemy gone, Sylphid returned to normal, looking around in confusion.

Tabitha quickly dismounted and ran over to her.

"Louise," she said with a hint of worry. "Are you alright? Your hair…"

"I thought it was a mistake when the Professor told me," the flaming pinkette replied, giving a sad laugh, "but it's true. I'm a Void Mage, Tabitha."

Removing her glove, she raised her right palm. "You lost control of Sylphid because of me, because of what I told her to do."

"Can't know that for sure," the blunette said, attempting to placate her.

"She's a Rhyme Dragon, isn't she?" Louise asked rhetorically.

The sight of Tabitha's eyes widening was the only answer she needed. Her greatest fear had been confirmed, and unless she was able to prove the validity of her status as an agent of God, striking fear into their hearts, they would not rest until she was slain. No matter what, she would be ostracized.

Looking at Tabitha, and then back at Guiche who was starting to get up off the ground, she thought, _'Perhaps it will be okay, as long as I can keep them close to me.'_

That's right. As long as she had friends, she would not truly be alone. She just had to make sure she would not lose them.

"Tabitha…" she approached the subject. "Could you still be my friend, knowing that? Could you be near me knowing that it puts you in danger as well?

The blunette remained silent for a short while, looking as if she was thinking.

"Makes no difference," she finally said, giving her best attempt at a look of reassurance. "You are still Louise."

That's right. Nothing had truly changed. She was still herself and in fact she had always been like this deep inside.

' _For now, perhaps you could consider that there just might be someone that needs you so much as you need her?'_

Did Tabitha need her? The flare surged within, but she quickly held it back. She would not allow her desires to paint the situation.

"Thank you, Tabitha" she said simply, with a smile which the icy mage returned.

"So, the lovely couple stays together," she heard from beside her.

"Zerbst."

Apparently she'd picked herself up from earlier and in spite of her words and Louise's fear, her expression was soft. Softer than she'd ever expected to see.

"Louise, I-"

"Not now," she stopped her, much to the distress of the redhead. "Right now, we need to take care of Fouquet and that Golem. After that, we can talk."

Her features sharpened. "I'm holding you to that."

She turned back to the dark patches to see a familiar blonde approaching. "Are you okay, Guiche?"

"I think so," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "You know your hair's on fire?"

"Pfft. Never-mind that now," she smirked. "Can I borrow Verdandi for a while? I have an idea."

 **Compendium**

[1] Yeshua – The projected original Hebrew name of Jesus Christ, or at least the name used in translations of the New Testament into Hebrew. The translation is "Salvation" or "He saves", which could refer to the man himself, or more likely to God.

[2] Nokto – It means "Night" in Esperanto. Also it's the very first enemy you encounter in El Shaddai and I believe they only appear in the first two levels, outside of the Watcher's Tower.

 **A/N: Welp, I was originally going to add in the battle with Fouquet, but the chapter would be a bit too long, I think, and the events are more relevant to some dialogues I have planned for next chapter.**

 **Anyway, that's as far as I'm willing to go for now without a more solid plan in place. I just wanted to get something out before I had to leave for the holidays.**

 **Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and especially to DschingisKhan and Poliamida for some jolly conversation. I'm immensely grateful for all of your feedback.**

 **See you guys in January!**


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